DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Scouting Centenary

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what Government support will be made available for the Centenary of Scouting in 2007; which Minister has been designated to lead Government support for the Centenary; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: As Minister for the Third Sector, I want to ensure the Government play a role in supporting the Centenary of Scouting celebrations. Officials from the Office of the Third Sector are currently working with the Scout Association to consider how the Government can support the Centenary of Scouting in 2007.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Northamptonshire CPS

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General in what proportion of cases prosecuted by the Northamptonshire Crown Prosecution Service, bail was given against the prosecutor's advice in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain records on bail decisions other than the information held on individual case files. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by identifying and retrieving every relevant file.

Persistent/Prolific Offenders

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps he is  (a) taking and  (b) plans to take to ensure the successful prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service of persistent and prolific offenders.

Mike O'Brien: As I have previously indicated on 27 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1264W, persistent and prolific offenders receive a 'Premium Service' from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and other criminal justice agencies. CPS prosecutors review the progress of these cases with local police crime managers at regular meetings and the CPS works with the courts to give these cases priority listing. The full extent of the criminal activity is brought to the attention of the court.
	The CPS will continue to work closely at a national and local level with colleagues in the criminal justice system, particularly the police, in order to bring to justice those prolific and priority offenders who are causing the most harm to their communities.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Health and Safety

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to make teachers aware of the health and safety warnings relating to interactive whiteboard use in schools.

Phil Hope: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Becta (British Educational Communications and Technology Agency), the Department's strategic ICT partner and lead on the operational aspect of embedding ICT in schools, provides guidance on the safe use of interactive whiteboards in schools through its website, liaison with interactive whiteboard suppliers, briefings and publications for local authorities and schools.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Freedom of Information Act

Paul Truswell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Government have to change the charging arrangements in relation to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The fees regime is still under review and the Government have not yet made a decision on what changes should be made to the present regime.

Judicial Powers

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what consultation process was undertaken in relation to the Government's proposals to give judges the power to order the withdrawal of a defendant's solicitor or barrister from certain trials, as published in proposals by her Department.

Vera Baird: holding answer 13 September 2006
	The Consultation Paper "Proposals to create judicial powers to manage conflict of interest and capacity issues in very high cost cases" was published on 4 August 2006 and responses are required by 27 October 2006. It is available on the DCA's website and we have sent copies to key stakeholders. In addition, copies of the Consultation Paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. We are keen to ensure the widest range of views are considered. We have already discussed the proposals with the judiciary and the professional bodies. We will publish our response at the beginning of November on the DCA's website and copies will be available in the Libraries of both Houses.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland Policing Board

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what determining date was used in deciding on the allocation under the d'Hondt formula for the political members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board; and what factors he took into account when selecting the determining date.

Paul Goggins: Under the terms of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, the Secretary of State's only obligation when appointing members of the Policing Board during suspension of the Assembly is to ensure that the Board, as a whole, is representative of the community in Northern Ireland. Therefore he is not required to use the results of the Assembly elections or apply d'Hondt to the allocation of seats to political members.
	The Secretary of State announced on 13 October 2005 that he intended to invite nominations from the political parties based on the 2003 election results and reflecting what would have been the parties representation at that time, had the Assembly not been suspended and the d'Hondt formula run based on those strengths. His recent invitation to the parties to make nominations was consistent with that decision.

Northern Ireland Policing Board

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors he took into account when setting the notice period for party leaders to submit nominations for the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

Paul Goggins: The Secretary of State in determining the notice period for party leaders to submit the political nominations for the Northern Ireland Policing Board took into account the following factors:
	(1) He had already announced on 13 October 2005 the reconstitution of the Board with effect from 1 April 2006 including the proposed seeking of political nominations.
	(2) He had launched the recruitment competition for independent members on 15 November 2005 and this competition closed on 16 December 2005.
	(3) Political parties were made aware at the launch of the competition for independent members that the seeking of political nominations was the next step.
	(4) All steps in the reconstitution process must be concluded by 1 April to ensure the establishment of the new Policing Board.

School Finance

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the Department of Education's budget allocation has been spent on  (a) new integrated schools and  (b) maintenance and essential repairs to schools in each education and library school area in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information for the last five years for which information is available is as follows:
	 (a) Spending on the new grant-maintained integrated schools which have been recognised and funded by the Department of Education since September 2000 is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Grand total 
			 BELB 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 WELB 0 0 0 0 90 90 
			 NEELB 826 1,971 2,075 3,020 3,484 11,376 
			 SEELB 0 96 309 508 (1)3,220 4,133 
			 SELB 0 0 0 0 269 269 
			 Total 826 2,067 2,384 3,528 7,063 15,868 
			 (1) Includes capital grant of £2,500 
		
	
	 (b) Spending on maintenance and essential repairs in all schools, including integrated schools, is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Grand total 
			 BELB 9,860 10,673 11,318 9,573 5,497 46,921 
			 WELB 7,643 8,262 8,490 4,885 5,406 34,686 
			 NEELB 7,449 9,446 5,836 8,869 5,306 36,906 
			 SEELB 8,162 11,318 10,732 7,442 5,237 42,891 
			 SELB 11,244 9,283 9,704 9,949 7,937 48,117 
			 Total 44,358 48,982 46,080 40,718 29,383 209,521

Sexual Offences

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of a serious sexual nature  (a) were investigated by police in Northern Ireland and  (b) were the subject of a successful prosecution in 2005.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI do not gather statistics relating to number of investigations. Although details of prosecutions for 2005 are not yet available, the tables show the number of sexual offences recorded and cleared for the years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			  Number of sexual offences recorded in Northern Ireland 2004-05 to 2005-06 
			   Recorded  Cleared 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Rape 347 356 156 155 
			 Attempted rape 33 35 16 24 
			 Indecent assault 746 808 412 335 
			 Other sexual offences 560 512 192 227 
			 Total 1,686 1,711 776 741 
		
	
	
		
			  All sexual offences cleared by method of clearance 2004-05 to 2005-06 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			   Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number 
			 Charge/summons 40.1 311 41.0 304 
			 Caution 3.0 23 5.3 39 
			 Taken into consideration 0.4 3 0.0 0 
			 Offender under age 1.0 8 1.5 11 
			 Complainant declined to prosecute 22.3 173 29.6 219 
			 Otherwise disposed of 33.2 258 22.7 168 
			 Total 100 776 100 741

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Creative Industries (Funding)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to protect the budgets of those publicly funded organisations which promote creative industries.

Shaun Woodward: HM Treasury announced in July 2005 that there would be a Comprehensive Spending Review of Government spending. As part of this work the Department has been asked to identify how value for money could be improved. The Department is also compiling evidence on the wider benefits that our sectors bring for areas including the economy and community.
	The Department has ensured that all of its sectors, including the Creative Industries, have been engaged with this process. DCMS is currently working with relevant non-departmental public bodies to finalise this.

Internet Gambling

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received regarding the promotion of internet gambling sites in  (a) broadcast and  (b) non-broadcast media.

Richard Caborn: We have had a number of discussions with the Gambling Commission, the Responsibility in Gambling Trust, remote gambling industry representatives, and others, on the promotion of internet gambling.
	The promotion of gambling in non-broadcast media is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA); and in broadcast media it is regulated by Ofcom. ASA and Ofcom will consult the Gambling Commission when setting, reviewing and revising standards for gambling advertising.

Tote

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress with negotiations regarding the planned sale of the Tote.

Richard Caborn: The Government remain committed to selling the Tote to racing.
	We are currently in discussions with racing regarding a closed sale of the Tote at full market value.

UK Film Council

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the reasons for the difference in funding for film projects by the UK Film Council in  (a) the City of Brighton and Hove and  (b) West Sussex.

Shaun Woodward: The difference in funding for film projects between the City of Brighton and Hove and West Sussex is a reflection of the level of film making activity in each of the areas.
	Since funding applications are necessarily considered on a project by project basis, the density of awards made in Brighton and Hove is attributable to the relative level of film activity in the area. Many more applications are received from Brighton and Hove (341) than from West Sussex (87).
	It should be noted however that the proportion of successful applications to Screen South, the Regional Screen Agency for the South East, is in fact higher in West Sussex than in Brighton and Hove, with an average of 48 per cent. proceeding to award over the last four years compared with an average of 40 per cent. in Brighton and Hove over the same period.
	Equally, applications to UK Film Council central funds show the same trend: more applications have been received from Brighton and Hove (140) than from West Sussex (51), but of those latter a higher percentage proceeded to award—25 per cent. as against 14 per cent.

Wicksteed Park

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Minister with responsibility for creative industries and tourism will meet  (a) a small delegation from the Wicksteed Trust and  (b) the hon. Member for Kettering to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the future of Wicksteed Park, Kettering.

Shaun Woodward: Subject to my other commitments, I should be very pleased to look into the possibility of a meeting with the hon. Gentleman to discuss Wicksteed Park. I look forward to his contacting my office to discuss a convenient date.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Rural Housing Commission

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department will respond to the recommendations of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are already taking forward many of the recommendations of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission. Its proposals are being fed into a series of progress of work including the Comprehensive Spending Review and the forthcoming planning policy statement on housing. We will also shortly be setting up a website on which we will post progress we are making towards improving access to affordable housing in rural areas and examples of best practice in the light of the Affordable Rural Housing Commissions report.

Brownfield Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1744, on brownfield development, if she will break down the London figure for 2004 by local authority area.

Yvette Cooper: The information available is from Land Use Change Statistics, shown in the following table. In a small number of London boroughs the proportions are not reliable enough to be shown for a single year. Proportions are also shown for the period 2001 to 2004 as a whole, and for the period 1989 to 1992 as a whole as four year averages are more reliable. Compared to 1989 to 1992 there has been a significant drop in the percentage of dwellings in London built on undeveloped land.
	
		
			  New dwellings on previously-developed land: London 
			  Percentage 
			   2004 
			   New dwellings on previously-developed land, excluding conversions, as a proportion of all new dwellings  New dwellings on greenfield land as a proportion of all new dwellings  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all on previously developed land  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all new dwellings 
			 City of London 100 0 22 22 
			 Barking and Dagenham 65 35 17 11 
			 Barnet 94 6 21 20 
			 Bexley (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Brent 100 0 36 36 
			 Bromley 94 6 49 46 
			 Camden (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Croydon 94 6 66 62 
			 Ealing 68 32 16 11 
			 Enfield 100 0 18 18 
			 Greenwich 94 6 5 5 
			 Hackney 100 0 17 17 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 100 0 33 33 
			 Haringey (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Harrow (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Havering 100 0 9 9 
			 Hillingdon 100 0 43 43 
			 Hounslow 100 0 4 4 
			 Islington 100 0 60 60 
			 Kensington and Chelsea (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Kingston upon Thames (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Lambeth 98 2 22 21 
			 Lewisham 100 0 32 32 
			 Merton 45 55 15 7 
			 Newham 99 1 19 19 
			 Redbridge 95 5 9 9 
			 Richmond upon Thames 97 3 42 41 
			 Southwark 98 2 16 15 
			 Sutton 100 0 27 27 
			 Tower Hamlets 100 0 6 6 
			 Waltham Forest 95 5 37 35 
			 Wandsworth 100 0 4 4 
			 Westminster 100 0 2 2 
			 Total London 96 4 20 18 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Average 2001-04 
			   New dwellings on previously-developed land, excluding conversions, as a proportion of all new dwellings  New dwellings on greenfield land as a proportion of all new dwellings  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all on previously developed land  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all new dwellings 
			 City of London 100 0 22 22 
			 Barking and Dagenham 75 25 19 14 
			 Barnet 91 9 32 29 
			 Bexley 79 21 20 16 
			 Brent 91 9 21 19 
			 Bromley 89 11 37 33 
			 Camden 97 3 24 23 
			 Croydon 98 2 58 57 
			 Ealing 78 22 23 18 
			 Enfield 99 1 17 17 
			 Greenwich 95 5 6 5 
			 Hackney 99 1 9 9 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 99 1 19 19 
			 Haringey 100 0 19 19 
			 Harrow 83 17 22 18 
			 Havering 94 6 13 13 
			 Hillingdon 98 2 27 26 
			 Hounslow 89 11 5 5 
			 Islington 100 0 35 35 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 97 3 7 7 
			 Kingston upon Thames 94 6 32 30 
			 Lambeth 91 9 19 17 
			 Lewisham 98 2 31 31 
			 Merton 80 20 30 24 
			 Newham 80 20 10 8 
			 Redbridge 98 2 6 6 
			 Richmond upon Thames 98 2 34 33 
			 Southwark 95 5 9 9 
			 Sutton 100 0 36 36 
			 Tower Hamlets 99 1 8 8 
			 Waltham Forest 92 8 32 30 
			 Wandsworth 100 0 4 4 
			 Westminster 100 0 15 15 
			 Total London 94 6 18 17 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Average 1989-92 
			   New dwellings on previously-developed land, excluding conversions, as a proportion of all new dwellings  New dwellings on greenfield land as a proportion of all new dwellings  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all on previously-developed land  New dwellings on previously residential land as a proportion of all new dwellings 
			 City of London (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Barking and Dagenham 72 28 15 11 
			 Barnet 86 14 40 34 
			 Bexley 86 14 37 31 
			 Brent 81 19 31 25 
			 Bromley 88 12 48 42 
			 Camden 99 1 26 26 
			 Croydon 79 21 40 31 
			 Ealing 94 6 24 22 
			 Enfield 69 31 22 15 
			 Greenwich 90 10 20 18 
			 Hackney 100 0 15 15 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 95 5 19 18 
			 Haringey 87 13 10 9 
			 Harrow 97 3 73 71 
			 Havering 68 32 46 31 
			 Hillingdon 72 28 40 29 
			 Hounslow 78 22 31 24 
			 Islington 98 2 15 15 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 100 0 20 20 
			 Kingston upon Thames 73 27 32 24 
			 Lambeth 81 19 29 23 
			 Lewisham 88 12 8 7 
			 Merton 63 37 27 17 
			 Newham 98 2 9 9 
			 Redbridge 88 12 16 14 
			 Richmond upon Thames 77 23 54 41 
			 Southwark 98 2 11 11 
			 Sutton 93 7 39 36 
			 Tower Hamlets 93 7 15 14 
			 Waltham Forest 82 18 10 8 
			 Wandsworth 97 3 21 20 
			 Westminster 100 0 7 7 
			 Total London 86 14 26 22 
			 (1) Numbers too small to give a reliable percentage.

Casino Advisory Panel

Justine Greening: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what processes were involved in choosing the members of the Casino Advisory Panel; and what direct input he had in those procedures.

Richard Caborn: I have been asked to reply.
	The role specification for the chair and members of the Casino Advisory Panel was agreed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and myself. The appointments were advertised in  The Sunday Times on 5 June 2005, and on public appointments and DCMS websites. The closing date for applications was 24 June 2005.
	The shortlist of candidates for interview was ratified by me, and I also considered the recommendations of the selection panel after the interviews had taken place, and decided whom to appoint.
	The selection panel was chaired by the head of Gambling, Lotteries and Licensing Division. The panel also comprised two independent assessors, who are trained by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) to conduct such processes in accordance with the Commissioner's Code.
	These three people met to sift applications in order to recommend a shortlist to the Minister. They met again to hold interviews, at which the potential for conflict of interest was discussed in every case, following which their views were submitted to the Minister for him to make his decision. Officials obtained statements from the successful candidates of their private interests, and assessed these for the potential for actual or perceived conflict of interest.
	The selection criteria for the roles were contained in the role specification, which was sent out to all interested candidates. This document informed the sift of applications and the general framing of questions at interview.
	The Deputy Prime Minister had no involvement in the appointment of the panel.

Computing Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks,  (b) compact discs,  (c) DVD-ROM discs,  (d) laptop computers,  (e) external computers hard drives,  (f) internal computer hard drives and  (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in her Department in each month since March 2005.

Angela Smith: This table indicates the amount of IT equipment bought from the four major suppliers of IT equipment to DCLG since March 2005. Identification of external HD purchases from DCLG financial records. USB memory, memory sticks and flash drives are different names for the same, or similar, products, could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Month  CDs (x50)  DVDs (x25)  Internal HD  Laptops  Desktop PC  USB Memory 
			 March 2005 65 — 8 44 6 11 
			 April 2005 3 — — 14 2 21 
			 May 2005 17 — — 49 6 21 
			 June 2005 2 — 2 12 — 2 
			 July 2005 26 — — 14 7 20 
			 August 2005 4 — — 14 1 9 
			 September 2005 — — 1 11 — 14 
			 October 2005 — — 2 28 2 48 
			 November 2005 — — — 11 — 30 
			 December 2005 13 — — 22 — 21 
			 January 2006 1 — — 8 2 10 
			 February 2006 1 — 1 30 5 34 
			 March 2006 4 — — 56 2 15 
			 April 2006 — — — 3 1 55 
			 May 2006 3 2 — 5 2 12 
			 June 2006 23 4 1 5 1 12 
			 Total 162 6 15 326 37 335

Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what action her Department is taking to increase the  (a) availability and  (b) affordability of shared accommodation in the private rented sector.

Yvette Cooper: The private rented sector has expanded by 33 per cent. in the last 12 years from 9 per cent. of households (1993) to 12 per cent. of households (2005). Rents are affected by house prices and the wider market and therefore by overall housing supply. The Government believe we need to increase housing supply to improve long term affordability. In addition families on low income can get housing benefit to help with private sector rents.

Housing

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the  (a) need and  (b) demand for affordable housing provided by local authorities in (i) Leeds and (ii) England; and what action she is taking to encourage and enable the provision of such housing.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Government do not produce national or local assessments of the need and demand for affordable housing. Regional assemblies and local planning authorities are responsible for producing regional and local assessments of housing need.
	We encourage and enable provision of affordable housing primarily through the payment of Social Housing Grant by the Housing Corporation to registered social landlords and unregistered bodies. The Government also assist local authorities to maximise the contribution made by the planning system consistent with creating sustainable communities, set out in draft Planning Policy Statement 3 'Housing' (December 2005), and provide guidance on requiring developer contributions through planning obligations for the provision of affordable housing. The Government are also consulting on new ways of increasing the role of authorities in meeting local housing needs.

Housing

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families were on waiting lists for social housing in each English local authority at the latest date for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Waiting list data at a local authority level for England and Wales are available from the Annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and published on an annual basis on the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) website. The list data include people who have applied for social housing but do not assess need. The latest available data are for 2005. The accuracy of the list will vary as it depends on how frequently and effectively local authorities update their lists.
	The hon. Gentleman is referred to the DCLG website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/853/Table600Excel126Kb_id1163853.xls.

Housing Associations

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many faith-based housing associations there are; and what the capital allocation for each was in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation maintains records on housing associations that are registered under section 2 of the Housing Act 1996 but does not collect information about whether they are faith-based and therefore the requested information is not available.

Learning Difficulties

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward proposals to assist local authorities in providing additional support for parents with learning difficulties to care for their children; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has commissioned the Social Care Institute for Excellence to undertake a knowledge review into support for parents with disabilities including parents with learning disabilities. This will be published on their website shortly. The second phase of the work will be to develop a resource guide for organisations supporting disabled parents. This includes a national protocol for joint working.
	In addition, the Valuing People Support Team, the Department and the Department for Education and Skills have commissioned good practice guidance on how adult and children's services can work together in the interest of parents with learning disabilities and their children. This suggestion came out of a national gathering of parents with learning disabilities in January 2005.

Local Government Ombudsman

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the rationale is for restricting the Local Government Ombudsman's scope to considering matters from the previous 12 months only; and what consideration she has given to introducing measures to extend that scope.

Phil Woolas: Section 26(4) of the Local Government Act 1974 provides that the Local Government Ombudsman may conduct an investigation into a complaint which has not been made within the 12 month period specified if he considers that it is reasonable to do so.

Local Government Targets

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local government targets the Government has  (a) introduced and  (b) abolished in each of the last nine years.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Performance indicators and targets are currently set for local government by a number of different Government Departments under separate performance management regimes. The number of centrally-set performance indicators and targets applicable to any individual local authority varies and will depend on the type of local authority (for example county council, district council, unitary authority or London borough) and the individual grant or funding regimes it accesses. Not all indicators have targets set against them.
	Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) were introduced in 2000-01 in order to enable central Government to monitor progress over a period of time, allow authorities to compare their performance against that of their peers and provide residents with information about the performance of their local authority. BVPIs are also a key component of the framework developed by the Audit Commission to inform Comprehensive Performance Assessment judgments.
	The Government set targets against 3 BVPIs. Local authorities are expected to set their own targets for improvement against the remaining 87 BVPIs.
	There are also a number of 'floor' targets, setting minimum standards that every area should meet, which have been set by central Government as part of each Spending Review since 2000. These floor targets now cover six thematic areas: crime, education, housing, employment, health and liveability, and are designed to help reduce the gap between the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest.

Property Market

Michael Gove: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what basis the Government estimated the cost of abortive property transactions in the residential property market at £350 million per annum; and how many transactions were assessed to arrive at this figure.

Yvette Cooper: The Department's 1998 research study, "Key research on easier home buying and selling", reported that 28 per cent. of transactions fail between offer acceptance and completion, or the equivalent of 467,000 failures at current transaction rates. The tracking surveys in the 1998 study also recorded details, where known, of the costs incurred by people whose purchase or sale had fallen through. The research found that the average cost of a failed transaction was £906 (£680 for buyers and £206 for sellers). Over a thousand respondents provided these details. However to take account of the relatively small sample size, the estimate of the total cost of transaction failure was adjusted downwards. The estimate of £350 million assumes a cost of £750 per transaction failure—i.e. the total loss for buyer and seller at 1998 prices. The baseline research due to start shortly will provide more up to date and comprehensive data on the cost of transaction failure to consumers.

Rebranding

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what rebranding costs have been incurred by each of the agencies affiliated to her Department as a consequence of the transfer of responsibilities from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Angela Smith: Three of the four Executive Agencies affiliated to the Department incurred no material costs associated with the change of Department.
	The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) had to make changes both to its publicity material, which it would have had to do in the normal course of business as such material is regularly updated and revised, and to the electronic templates that Inspectors and others use for the issuing of decision letters. The estimated total cost of carrying out the necessary changes is £11,000.

Retail Developments

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will ensure that the presumption is that large shops should be built in town centres rather than out of town continues; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government remain committed to promoting the vitality and viability of town centres and a town-centre first policy approach. "Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres", published in March 2005, applies to all main town centre uses, including large retail development.

Supporting People Strategy

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the cost of administering Supporting People payments for older people living in sheltered housing; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) does not have a specific estimate for the administrative costs of Supporting People with regard to older people living in sheltered housing.
	DCLG provides a grant to top-tier local authorities as a contribution to their costs in administering the Supporting People programme; this grant totals £40 million for England in the current year. Administrative costs to service providers of supported housing will be covered within the contracts they hold with local authorities, and are not therefore identifiable within the information held by central Government.

Tenant Deposit Scheme

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the tenant deposit scheme on smaller residential landlords.

Yvette Cooper: The regulatory impact assessment for the Tenancy Deposit Protection Scheme was published in September 2004. The assessment took account of the views of stakeholders including the small residential landlords. The Department subsequently established a stakeholder steering group, which includes landlord representatives, to progress the development and introduction of the scheme.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Payments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many methods of calculation are available to decision makers in his Department making decisions on overpayment of benefits; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: There is one method of calculation that can occur at a number of stages throughout the decision making process.
	There are two elements to a decision on an overpayment of benefit.
	Initially, where it becomes apparent to the Department that the information on which entitlement to a benefit is based is incorrect, a review of that entitlement is carried out. A calculation is then made comparing what the entitlement should have been based on the correct facts, and compared with what was actually paid.
	If an overpayment has occurred, a decision maker then determines whether that overpayment can be recovered under Social Security legislation. When reaching that decision, the decision maker must be satisfied that the customer or their representative has failed to disclose or has misrepresented a material fact, including a change in their circumstances. Where an overpayment has arisen as a result of a customer's misrepresentation or failure to disclose, Section 71 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 allows the recovery of that overpayment.
	The decision can be disputed by the customer and automatically provides a right of appeal on the grounds of whether there has been misrepresentation or failure to disclose and the amount determined. Where a decision is disputed, a decision maker can review a decision and make a fresh decision, either on the amount of the overpayment, or on the basis of its recoverability. A fresh decision is then issued against which further rights of appeal are provided.
	This legislation covers the vast majority of overpayments that are determined to be recoverable under Social Security legislation.

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department provides to citizens advice bureaux.

James Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions does not provide core funding to citizens advice bureaux. We do however, on occasion, provide funding for specific initiatives that support the Department's aims and objectives. Most recently, £1.65 million in funding has been provided to 24 bureaux, for the period March 2005 to February 2007, from the Department's Partnership Fund, which is aimed at encouraging initiatives to support the take-up of Pension Credit.

Disability Equality

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) information gathering and  (b) other actions (i) his Department and (ii) other bodies are taking to inform the production of the report on progress towards disability equality within the work and pensions policy sector.

James Plaskitt: All relevant areas of DWP policy will be considered in the report on progress. We will seek an assessment of progress from the principal authorities which deliver services funded or regulated by the Secretary of State including local authorities administering housing benefit, as well as the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	We are considering what specific information needs to be collected to be able to publish our report on 1 December 2008.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the single room rent restriction on housing benefit was in each locality in  (a) Wyre,  (b) Lancaster,  (c) Eastbourne,  (d) Hastings, (e) Flintshire,  (f) Leicester,  (g) Sheffield,  (h) Greenwich,  (i) Southwark,  (j) North Lincolnshire,  (k) Kingston-upon-Hull and  (l) East Devon in each year between 1996-97 and 2004-05.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Single room rents in each of the specified local authorities 
			  £ 
			  Local authority  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Wyre 41 41 45 45 46 50 50 53 
			 Lancaster 37.50 37.50 40 40 42.50 45 45 50 
			 Eastbourne 42.50 45 49 52 55 55 56.50 60 
			 Hastings 41 41.50 49 52 55 55 56 56.50 
			 Flintshire 42.50 40 40 38 38.50 40 45 50 
			 Leicester 30 33.50 37.75 43.75 46.50 51.38 52.75 55 
			 Sheffield 40 37.50 40 40 42.50 45 47.50 50 
			 Greenwich 50 57.50 57.50 82.50 77.50 77.50 80 80 
			 Southwark 62 65 65 77.50 85 83.75 82.50 87.50 
			 North Lines 38 33 38.50 37.50 38 40 40 40 
			 Kingston upon Hull 32 31 34 35 35 41 42 42 
			 East Devon 41.50 40.50 45 46.50 52.50 57.50 57.50 60 
			  Notes: 1. Information source: The Rent Service except Flintshire which was provided by Rent Officer service Wales.  2. No central records of single room rents exist for the years prior to the establishment of The Rent Service on 1 October 1999.  3. The figures shown are the average of single room rents, of all localities within the local authorities, as at 31 December in each year.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many solvent companies have starting winding up pension schemes since 1997.

James Purnell: The information is not available.
	Pensions schemes that start to wind up are required to advise the pensions regulator, as it maintains a register of pension schemes. However, the status of the employer that sponsors an occupational pension scheme is not registrable information, which means that the regulator is unable to identify how many schemes in the process of winding up have a solvent employer.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of  (a) male pensioners currently aged over 65 years and  (b) female pensioners currently aged over 60 years who will be claiming (i) the guarantee credit only, (ii) savings credit and guarantee credit and (iii) savings credit only in  (A) 2010 and  (B) 2012 under the proposals in the White Paper Security in Retirement, Towards a New Pensions System; and what estimate he has made of what these numbers would be under the current system.

James Purnell: Under our reforms, more people will be receiving state pensions based on their national insurance records, and there will be a more generous basic state pension due to the restoration of the earnings link. This provides a solid foundation for private saving. Incentives are further enhanced by reducing the growth of the savings credit.
	Table 1 shows the estimates of the number of males and females that may receive pension credit by component in the years 2010 and 2012 assuming that the standard guarantee credit is uprated in line with prices from 2008.
	Table 2 shows the projected numbers under the proposals contained in the White Paper "Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system."
	
		
			  Table 1: Projected number of males and females that may be in receipt of pension credit in selected years assuming the standard guarantee credit is uprated in line with prices from 2008 
			   GC only  GC+SC  SC only 
			  Males currently aged 65 or over 
			 2010 50,000 450,000 400,000 
			 2012 50,000 350,000 350,000 
			 
			  Females currently aged 60 or over 
			 
			 2010 550,000 1,000,000 600,000 
			 2012 450,000 900,000 550,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Projected number of males and females that may be in receipt of pension credit in selected years under the White Paper proposals 
			   GC only  GC+SC  SC only 
			  Males currently aged 65 or over 
			 2010 150,000 400,000 450,000 
			 2012 100,000 350,000 400,000 
			 
			  Females currently aged 60 or over 
			 2010 700,000 900,000 650,000 
			 2012 650,000 800,000 650,000 
			  Notes: 1. Projections of numbers receiving pension credit in the future are subject to a range of uncertainties and a number of factors including policies on uprating different benefits and assumptions on rates of take-up. The assumptions applied here are consistent with those that underpin published long-run expenditure projections, and are applied to projections of the number of pensioner households estimated to be eligible for pension credit. 2. Care should be taken when interpreting these projections. In particular data deficiencies make it difficult to be confident in the split between the number of people who may be in receipt of only  the guarantee credit and those who may be in receipt of both the guarantee credit and the savings credit. Also the projections are sensitive to the assumed take-up rates (the same assumptions on the rate of take-up are applied to the current and reform projections).  3. Estimates of the proportion of pensioners eligible for pension credit are the mid-points of projections taken from two separate micro-simulation models.  4. The projections of the number of pensioners eligible for pension credit are sensitive to modelling assumptions and to projected changes in the distribution of pensioner incomes.  5. The projections of the number of male pensioners currently aged over 65 years who may be eligible for pension credit in 2010 have been derived from projections of the proportion of males aged 69+ in 2010 who may be eligible and projections of the number of males aged 69+ in Great Britain in 2010. A similar procedure was followed in estimating the number who may be eligible in 2012 and the number of females currently aged over 60 years who may be eligible in 2010 and 2012.  6. The reform projections assume: continued earnings uprating of the standard guarantee credit; the savings credit maximum is uprated by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; measures to improve coverage of the basic state pension described in the White Paper.  7. The projections in Table 1 assume that basic state pension is uprated in line with prices and the standard guarantee credit with prices each year after 2008. It should be noted that there is a Government commitment to uprate the standard guarantee credit with earnings until 2008. Treasury projections for the current system assume price uprating of the standard guarantee credit beyond 2008.  8. Estimates are calibrated to the mid-points of the 2004-5 National Statistics range estimates of non-eligibility to pension credit, which adjust 2004-5 Family Resources Survey data to take account of possible biases in reporting. Although the estimates here are not presented as ranges, they are subject to a margin of uncertainty.  9. The projections are rounded to the nearest 50,000.  10. Qualifying age for the guarantee credit will increase with women's state pension age between 2010 and 2020, from 60 to 65.

Post Office Card Accounts

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who use post office card accounts to receive benefits and pensions are aged  (a) under 60,  (b) 60 to 69,  (c) 70 to 79 and  (d) 80 and above.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows the number of DWP benefit and pension payment accounts being paid by direct payment into a Post Office card account at 10 June 2006.
	These figures do not include Post Office card accounts used by other Government Departments to pay benefits and tax credits.
	
		
			  Age  Benefit and pension accounts 
			 Under 60 1,271,360 
			 60-69 925,300 
			 70-79 1,286,220 
			 80 and over 954,090 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Figures refer to benefit and pension payment accounts live and in payment on the specified date. People in receipt of more than one benefit/pension have been counted for each separate benefit/pension in payment. People who have their benefit/pension combined and paid at the same time have only been counted through the paying benefit.

Post Office Card Accounts

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will ensure that pensioners whose pension credit is paid via a Post Office card account are not advised that they must have a bank account to receive their awards in the future.

James Plaskitt: Pensioners do not have to have a bank account to receive pension credit. However, we have always made it clear that payment into a bank account is the best option for the overwhelming majority of customers, and so it is only right that we alert customers to the fact that there are accounts that may better meet their needs. For example, many are missing out on the savings that direct debits can bring and on interest paid on balances. Around 25 different bank accounts can be accessed at Post Office branches now. The Post Office has already introduced one new account—the Instant Saver—and plans to introduce more new accounts in the future.

Redundancies

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average redundancy payment has been made to staff declared redundant within his Department and the agencies for which it is responsible since 6 April 2004.

Anne McGuire: As part of its Efficiency Programme the Department has run a number of staff early release schemes since April 2004. All but one early release under these schemes has been on a voluntary basis.
	To the end of March 2006, the average full cost of early releases under all these schemes was around £56,000.

Welfare Reform Bill

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice he has received from the Health Professionals Advisory Group on the likely effect of sanctions proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill which could result in disabled people losing benefit.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 11 September 2006
	The Health Professionals Advisory Group is a body of senior healthcare professionals, set up to advise Ministers and officials on the Department's work to help people with health conditions or disabilities to enter, remain in or return to work.
	The Group has not discussed benefit sanctions or the likely impact of any such sanctions.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to ratify Protocol V of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons Treaty prior to the Review Conference to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in November.

Kim Howells: The UK aims to complete ratification of Protocol V, concerning explosive remnants of war, of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) by the CCW Review Conference in November.

EU Maritime Policy

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the EU Commission Green Paper, Towards a Future Maritime Policy for the Union, what her policy is on the applicability of EU policy and legislation to the territorial waters of overseas territories of member states.

Ian McCartney: The EC Treaty, other than Part IV on the Association of Overseas Countries and Territories, does not apply to the Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom, except to Gibraltar to which it applies by virtue of Article 299 (4) EC Treaty. As the legal base for any legislation arising out of the Maritime Green Paper would be likely to be under Article 175 (1), an environmental legal base, it would not apply to the majority of the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories. However, the Government and the Governments of the other Overseas Territories would want to consider whether it would be appropriate and feasible to apply similar measures based on EC legislation through the Territories' domestic legislation.

European Parliament

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her policy is on the maintenance of a seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Geoff Hoon: The splitting of the European Parliament site between Strasbourg and Brussels is far from ideal. However, there is an historical and legal basis for the siting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, as agreed at the Edinburgh summit 1992, and any changes would require the unanimous support of all 25 EU member states. Unfortunately, we do not believe that the necessary political unanimity for such a change currently exists.

International Criminal Court

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will review the operating procedures of the International Criminal Court following the pleas by some Governments and organisations to seek clemency in the case of those Lords Resistance Army bodies who have been indicted.

Kim Howells: The UK has long worked for a peaceful solution to the long running conflict in Northern Uganda. The recent cessation of hostilities and ongoing negotiations relating to Northern Uganda are a promising step. However, it is clear that there is much work still to be done to bring a sustainable peace to the region.
	The UK, along with the rest of the EU, is a strong supporter—in principle and in practice—of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was established to prosecute the most serious crimes of international concern. In July 2004, the ICC launched an investigation into the situation in Northern Uganda, following referral of the situation by the Government of Uganda. In October 2005, the ICC unsealed warrants for the arrest of five senior members of the Lord's Resistance Army.
	The operating procedures of the ICC, including the issue of warrants, are a matter for the Court and we respect its independence. We urge all parties to fulfil their obligations under the Statute of the Court. The ICC has made clear that it is following developments closely and remains in close contact with the Government of Uganda and the wider international community.

Iran

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her  (a) United Nations,  (b) European Union and  (c) United States counterparts on the Iranian nuclear dispute; whether the issue of possible United Nations sanctions against Iran was raised during these discussions; and whether the UK Government will support the application of such sanctions if Iran fails to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1690.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 13 September 2006
	I have discussed Iran many times with my counterparts in the EU, US and other countries, both in the run-up to the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1696 on 31 July and subsequently.
	Resolution 1696 called on Iran to take the steps required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and made mandatory on Iran a full suspension of all uranium enrichment related and reprocessing activities. The Security Council asked the IAEA Director-General, Dr. Mohammed El-Baradei, to report on Iranian compliance by 31 August. The Council expressed its intention to "adopt appropriate measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations" if Iran did not comply.
	Dr. El-Baradei's report makes clear that Iran has not suspended its enrichment related and reprocessing activities, nor taken the other steps required by the IAEA Board. We are now discussing next steps with our EU and Security Council partners.
	We remain committed to a diplomatic solution, and continue to urge Iran to take the steps required by the Security Council and the IAEA Board, reinstate a full suspension and return to negotiations on the basis of the proposals presented by the "E3+3" (France, Germany, UK + China, Russia, US) on 6 June.

Middle East

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance she  (a) has given and  (b) plans to offer to the state of Israel to assist that country in fighting (i) Hezbollah terrorists and (ii) other terrorism; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government are engaged in building bilateral and multilateral relationships and work closely with a wide range of countries on counter-terrorism. There is close co-operation between many UK organisations, including the police, security and intelligence agencies and Whitehall Departments, with many other countries. It is not the normal practice of the Government to comment on the specifics of such matters. To do so can harm operational effectiveness, assist the terrorists and damage co-operative relationships beneficial to the UK's own security.

UN General Assembly

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which officials from her Department will be attending the opening session of the 61st UN General Assembly in New York on 12 September.

Kim Howells: Officials from the UK Permanent Mission to the UN attended the first meeting of the 61st UN General Assembly on 12 September.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe and I plan to attend UN General Assembly (UNGA) Ministerial Week (19-22 September). Most of the UN's 192 member states are sending their Head of Government, State or Foreign Minister. As the largest annual gathering of senior foreign policy makers, it is an important opportunity to take forward the Government's foreign policy priorities.
	There will be a large number of multilateral events in the margins of the main UNGA Plenary. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers will participate in all the major events, and will also hold more than 60 separate bilateral meetings with key UN partners. As is usual, Ministers will be supported by FCO officials from the UK Permanent Mission to the UN and from London.

UN Human Rights Council

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a draft of the next report by the UK to UN Human Rights Council.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 13 September 2006
	The new UN Human Rights Council is in the early stages of discussing a new system of Universal Periodic Review. The details of this Review—including whether and how states might submit reports—are still under discussion.
	The UK's next periodic report to the UN Human Rights Committee, under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is due in November 2006. Following its submission to the Committee, the Department for Constitutional Affairs will make the report available on its website: http://www.dca.gov.uk/peoples-rights/hunian-rights/int-human-rights.htm.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

CFC Recovery Rates

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will publish the figures for CFC recovery from domestic and commercial appliances for each of the last 10 years; and what estimate he has made of performance in 2006;
	(2)  how many tonnes of the CFCs recovered by UK licensed facilities have been  (a) destroyed and  (b) processed to render them harmless to the environment in each year since 1990.

Ian Pearson: The following information is available on the recovery of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) from all equipment:
	
		
			   Tonnes 
			 2002 387 
			 2003 494 
			 2004 427 
			 2005 467 
		
	
	Figures for 2006 are unavailable at present.
	The following information is available on the destruction of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) from all equipment:
	
		
			   Tonnes 
			 2002 387 
			 2003 494 
			 2004 583 
			 2005 476 
		
	
	Figures for 2006 are unavailable at present.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 20 April 2006,  Official Report, column 750W, which provides further information on CFC recovery rates.

CFC Recovery Rates

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's guidance on the recovery of controlled substances in refrigerators and freezers; and what assessment he has made of its impact on falling CFC recovery rates in the UK.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 20 April 2006,  Official Report, column 751W.

Discovering Lost Ways Project

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many lost ways have been identified under the Discovering Lost Ways project; and how many of these go through private property;
	(2)  what the cost to date is of the Discovering Lost Ways project.

Barry Gardiner: The Discovering Lost Ways project is currently in its pilot phase. Research methods are being tested in Cheshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Shropshire, with a view to determining whether the approach works well, and can be rolled out across the country. Because no lost ways will be identified until the pilot phase is complete, I cannot advise on the number passing through private property. If a lost way were to prove problematic for a landowner, a process already exists whereby the local authority may effect a suitable diversion or extinguish the right of way.
	The results for Cheshire and Shropshire, which will provide strong documentary evidence, will be available in spring and autumn 2007 respectively.
	The estimated total cost of the project over 19 years is £15 million, including the additional resources needed to facilitate the process of recording the rights of way on the definitive map and statement (the local authorities' legal record of rights of way).

English Nature

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much English Nature spent on  (a) conservation and nature management programmes and  (b) salaries in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; and what estimates have been made of expenditure in each category in 2006-07.

Barry Gardiner: English Nature's entire expenditure effectively supports conservation and nature management, including salary costs, so it is not possible to meaningfully separate out an amount spent on conservation and nature management. The Grant in Aid paid to English Nature over the period concerned was £68.6 million in 2004-05, £73.1 million in 2005-06 and the planned amount for 2006-07 is £74.4 million.
	English Nature advises that its salary costs for each year are £30.6 million for 2004-05, £34.9 million for 2005-06 and £34.7 million expected for 2006-07.
	The 2006-07 figures are subject to change following the transition to Natural England in mid-year.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme on the profitability of the power generation sector in Phase 1 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Ian Pearson: A report, "Implications of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for the UK Power Generation Sector", commissioned by the Government, was published in 2005 by IPA Energy Consulting Ltd on the DTI website:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file33199.pdf
	Further analysis conducted by the DTI has suggested that this report may overestimate the profits to electricity generators. This is because some power suppliers have not been passing the full costs of the EU ETS on to retail industrial and domestic customers, indicating that generators who have both wholesale and retail customers could be using some of their windfall profits to subsidise their retail customers.

Flood Defences (Essex)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what special measures will be taken during the extraordinary high tides expected in autumn 2006 to protect low lying areas of the Essex coastline and islands lying off Essex.

Ian Pearson: This autumn, the lunar effect on the tides will be greater than average. However, this does not mean that there will be flooding. Weather conditions are critical in determining whether potential flood risk generated by high tides actually results in a flood.
	Defences in Essex are already prepared for high tides. Tidal surges in the North Sea can lead to flooding throughout the year and the maintenance regime and operational procedures take this into account.
	The Flood Warning system sends warnings to those at risk of flooding along the Essex coast and has recently been upgraded with the introduction of new technology. This allows flood warnings to be sent out in a timely and efficient manner to everyone in a flood risk area who has registered for this free service.
	The Flood Warning system also links into the emergency planning and resilience structure for Essex. Regular meetings are held between the major response parties to ensure that, in a flooding situation, the response is co-ordinated and seamless. Extra meetings and briefings have taken place in Essex before the flood season to ensure that flood plans and procedures are in place to deal with any flooding that may occur.

Flood Defences (Essex)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will undertake research to estimate whether, there has been a change in the level of protection afforded by Canvey Island sea defences since they were first established; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency has initiated a project, "Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100)", to address the impacts of future climate change and sea level rise on the Thames estuary (including Canvey Island).
	More accurate assessments of the standards of sea walls in the Thames estuary are being undertaken as part of this overall project. Once this work has been completed, the need for any greater protection can be assessed. The consultation document on the final TE2100 Plan should be available in 2008.

GM Organisms

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last reviewed procedures to protect against unauthorised genetically modified organisms entering the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Importers of materials for use in food and animal feed are obliged to ensure that they do not place unauthorised genetically modified organisms on the market. The regulatory controls on GM food and feed, which are the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency, came into force in 2004 and are currently under review.
	Pending the establishment of legislative thresholds at European Community level, DEFRA has contracted with the Central Science Laboratory to carry out voluntary audits of seed companies to monitor the steps they are taking to minimise the risk of adventitious GM presence in conventional seed. Procedures were reviewed earlier this year and a decision taken to augment the audit programme with improved risk assessment procedures. The new procedures are due to take effect from November this year.
	Central Science Laboratory audit results are published annually and can be accessed at:
	http://www.csl.gov.uk/prodserv/cons/gm_inspectorate.cfm

GM Organisms

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times unauthorised genetically modified organisms  (a) entered the UK and  (b) entered the food chain in the UK in each year since 1997; and what the (i) substance and (ii) country of origin was in each case.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	Relevant cases since 1997 are as follows:
	In 2000, a batch of rape seed from Canada supplied to United Kingdom farmers was found to contain a proportion of a genetically modified (GM) variety called GT73. The growing of GT73 rape was not authorised, although food ingredients derived from the rapeseed were permitted.
	In 2000, a small sample of 25 tomato seeds from the United States was imported and grown in the UK but not for food or feed use. In 2003 it was discovered that this batch of seeds had been mislabelled by the US supplier and were of an unidentified GM variety. No GM tomato varieties are authorised to be grown in the UK.
	In 2000 it was reported that UK field trials with GM sugar beet contained approximately 0.5 per cent. of a second, unauthorised, line of GM beet. None of the affected beet entered the food chain. The company concerned indicated that the unauthorised event was likely to be present due to cross- contamination during the production of beet seed in Germany.
	In August 2006, the US Department of Agriculture announced that some commercial long grain rice on the US market had been found to contain traces of the unauthorised variety LLRICE601. This genetically modified rice could therefore have been present in imports of US rice to the UK. This incident is still under investigation in the US. Recent reports of rice products from China containing GM rice are under investigation.

Water Companies (Sewage)

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers his Department has to require water companies to take action to prevent repeated instances of sewage flooding in residential areas.

Ian Pearson: Water and sewerage companies are under a statutory duty to ensure effectual drainage of their respective areas, but this does not extend to an absolute duty to prevent sewer flooding under all circumstances. This would not be practicable. Ensuring compliance with the duty on companies is a matter for the economic regulator, Ofwat.
	If a company fails to comply with this duty, Ofwat is required, with certain exceptions, to issue an enforcement order requiring the company to put matters right.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Royal Navy not including Royal Marines are serving in Afghanistan, broken down by unit.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 11 September 2006
	As at 29 August 2006 there were 35 Royal Navy personnel serving in Afghanistan. I am withholding information relating to individual units because to publish such information could compromise operational security as it would also reveal information on force capability and force laydown.

Aircraft

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the availability of components for the Harrier jets deployed in Afghanistan; and if he will make statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 13 September 2006
	The equipment support for the Harrier aircraft in Afghanistan is routinely reviewed to ensure an effective supply chain and to maximise aircraft availability. The supply of equipment is afforded priority status and robust procedures are in place to ensure operational tempo is met. The latest review has confirmed that there is sufficient equipment support in theatre for our Harrier aircraft.

First World War Soldiers

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the executed first world war soldiers' records he has personally reviewed.

Des Browne: holding answer 13 September 2006
	I have considered the issue of pardons for world war one soldiers in the round, taking into account the difficult circumstances of that war and the spectrum of cases involved. Given the lack of information in many cases, I believe that it would not be fair to consider each case on an individual basis. However, it is now appropriate to show compassion by seeking a statutory group pardon for those individuals executed for cowardice, desertion and similar offences.

Military Losses

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on UK military losses in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq.

Des Browne: holding answer 11 September 2006
	As at 12 September 2006, 40 British forces personnel have died serving on Operation Herrick, the UK military operation in Afghanistan, which began in November 2001 and 118 British forces personnel have died serving on Operation Telic, the UK military operation in Iraq, which began in March 2003.

Military Vehicles

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Government will take urgent action to provide additional protection to Land Rovers being operated by the armed forces.

Des Browne: holding answer 13 September 2006
	The electronic counter-measures fitted to Land Rovers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tactics employed in the use of the vehicles are updated as appropriate as the threat evolves. Weight constraints mean it is not possible to provide additional armour. I announced in my statement on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 74WS the procurement of almost 400 vehicles with improved protection for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, including Mastiff (also known as Cougar), Vector and up-armoured FV430. These will provide commanders with a range of vehicles of varying protection, mobility and profile, to be used according to operational circumstances.

Nuclear Deterrent

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral answer of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 587, on the nuclear deterrent, whether his Department has completed its assessment relating to the future of Trident including non-replacement; and whether he expects to issue a White Paper on the future of the nuclear deterrent.

Des Browne: holding answer 11 September 2006
	I have nothing further to add to the answers I gave on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 586, to the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mark Hunter), and to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins),  Official Report, column 592.

Nuclear Deterrent

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to initiate a public consultation regarding the future of the Trident weapons system.

Des Browne: holding answer 13 September 2006
	I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 592-93, to the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) and my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins).

Nuclear Deterrent

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the latest estimate is of the cost of the replacement of the Trident nuclear missile system.

Des Browne: holding answer 13 September 2006
	I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 586W, to the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mark Hunter).

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum/Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Department will reach a decision on the immigration application of Fouzia Ilyas, ref. no. J1071072668.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 September 2006
	I refer to my written answer on 5 September 2006 confirming that Ms Ilyas was notified of a decision on her application on 18 January 2005 when at the same time her documents were returned to her home address.

British Crime Survey

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of crimes which may be omitted from the British Crime Survey due to crimes defined as victimless being excluded; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 September 2006
	The recorded crime statistics collect details of certain victimless crimes which come to the attention of the police and are recorded by them but which are not included in the British Crime Survey. Specific examples of offences are possession of weapons, threat or possession with intent to commit criminal damage and Drug offences. In addition, there are certain victimless crimes in various offence classifications but they cannot be separately identified from other crimes where there is a victim. For example, a breach of a sex offender order can be deemed to be victimless but cannot be separately identified from other offences involving a victim which are also recorded under the crime classification 'Offences against the State and Public Order'. For this reason, it is not possible to provide an estimate of victimless crimes.

Correspondence

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Woking concerning Mr. B. Fensome, ref M27866/5.

Joan Ryan: A reply was sent to the hon. Member for Woking on 14 September 2006 from Kevin Sheehan, deputy director of service delivery for the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) under delegated authority. Mr. Sheehan has apologised for this lengthy delay.
	The original correspondence dated 14 November 2005 was received in the Home Office on 16 November but was then mislaid due to an administrative error.

Departmental Staff

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the senior civil service in his Department in pay band  (a) one,  (b) two and  (c) three were (i) women and (ii) from ethnic minorities in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The percentage of senior civil service in the Department in pay band  (a) one  (b) two and  (c) three were women (i) women and (ii) from ethnic minorities in the last five years is given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Recorded female staff in the SCS 
			  Percentage 
			  As at:  Pay band 1  Pay band 2  Pay band 3 
			 1 April 2006 30.70 25.50 54.50 
			 16 March 2005 28.50 24.50 30 
			 19 April 2004 28.10 27.50 40 
			 15 January 2003 27.80 25 40 
			 17 April 2002 25.40 27.30 40 
		
	
	
		
			  Breakdown for staff from ethnic minorities in the SCS 
			  Percentage 
			  Area( 1)  Year  (a) Pay band 1  (b) Pay band 2  (c) Pay band 3 
			 Central HO—including Immigration and Nationality Directorate 31 March 2006 3.06 4.30 25 
			  31 March 2005 4.48 11.50 0 
			  31 March 2004 (*)4.10 
			  31 March 2003 (*)2.74 
			  31 March 2002 (*)1.32 
			  31 March 2001 (*)0.84 
			  
			 HM Prison Service 30 June 2006 8 0 0 
			  30 June 2005 5 0 0 
			  30 June 2004 0 8 0 
			  30 June 2003 5 7 0 
			  30 June 2002 (2)5 (3)7 0 
			  20 June 2002 (2)— (3)— 0 
			 (1) Ethnicity data is calculated in different ways for the two areas of the Home Office.  (2) Total 5 per cent.  (3 )Total 7 per cent.  Note: The scope of Prison Service data includes all staff in the pay band, the rest of the Home Office includes only staff whose ethnicity is known. Ethnicity data is not available for SCS staff in Identity and Passport Service or the Criminal Records Bureau. (*) This figure is based on all 3 Pay Bands.

Parliamentary Questions

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to Question 73534, on holding in open prisons of those awaiting deportation, tabled by the hon. Member for Ashford for answer on 24 May 2006;
	(2)  when he will reply to Question  (a) 73532, on those awaiting deportation,  (b) 73533, on people awaiting deportation in open prisons,  (c) 73531, on deportation of asylum seekers and  (d) 73526 on the costs of tracking and detaining foreign criminals tabled by the hon. Member for Ashford for answer on 24 May 2006.

Liam Byrne: The hon. Member has received replies to all of these questions.

Police

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government would permit the voluntary amalgamation of two police forces located in different English regions.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 September 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced on 19 June that we would not be proceeding with the mergers of police forces planned by my predecessor and this position has not changed. On 31 July, I invited police forces and police authorities, in the absence of plans to create strategic forces through amalgamation, to investigate further opportunities for greater collaboration and he made it clear that Government regional office boundaries should be respected but they should not be seen as inviolate in that context.

Police

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs were incurred by West Mercia Police Authority (WMPA) in its work on the proposed amalgamation of West Mercia into a West Midlands Regional Force; and if he will reimburse WMPA for the costs incurred.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 September 2006
	West Mercia Police Authority has submitted a claim to the Home Office for £89,060.59 for the additional expenditure it incurred in relation to the consideration of the options for restructuring in the West Midlands region. We are currently considering this claim, and those received from other forces and authorities, and will respond as soon as possible.

Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers transferred to the Metropolitan police from each other police force in each of the last three years; and how many transferred from the Metropolitan police force to other police forces in each year.

Tony McNulty: The available information is provided in the following table.
	It is not possible to identify from which forces officers have transferred from or which forces they transfer to once they leave the Metropolitan police.
	
		
			  Police officers (full-time equivalent) transfers into and out of the Metropolitan police service by year, 2004 to 2006 
			  As at 31 March:  Transferring in( 1)  Transferring out( 2) 
			 2004 319 388 
			 2005 351 257 
			 2006 182 475 
			 (1 )Includes transfers from NCIS/NCS and from non-Home Office forces e.g. BTP.  (2) Includes transfers to NCIS/NCS and to non-Home Office forces in England, Wales or abroad.

Police

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time police officers there were serving in the northern division of Cambridgeshire constabulary on 31 March  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 September 2006
	The information requested is set out in the following table. It additionally shows the number of police community support officers for the northern division. The deployment to divisions and to other specialist operational units is a matter for the chief constable of Cambridgeshire. I understand from the chief constable that in 2004-05 the force established a major investigations team and officers reporting lines were transferred from northern division to the investigations directorate. Also due to boundary changes officers transferred from the northern division to the central division with the realignment of Yaxley.
	
		
			  Cambridgeshire constabulary—northern division 
			  As at 31 March  Number of police officers  Number of police community support officers 
			 2004 356 Not available 
			 2005 308 28 
			 2006 317 36

Prisons

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places at  (a) closed prisons and  (b) young offender institutions will be temporarily unavailable for accommodation during the 2006-07 financial year because of maintenance and refurbishment works; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Offender Management Service plans a rolling refurbishment and maintenance programme for the whole prison estate. This results in between 1,500 and 2,000 places being taken out of use at any one time across the estate as individual projects are initiated and completed. This also includes open prisons.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders he plans to release early from young offender institutions following the request from the Youth Justice Board; which offences those to be released early have committed; and what plans he has to ease overcrowding in the long-term.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 7 September 2006
	The Youth Justice Board has not requested any change in the early release arrangements for young offenders under 18. Jointly with the Prison Service, the Board wrote to governors of young offender institutions on 27 July, asking them to ensure that young people who qualify for early release under the existing guidance are considered and approved as quickly as possible.
	The Youth Justice Board is working with sentencers and youth offending teams to achieve greater consistency in sentencing practice across the country, which should reduce the number of young people sentenced to custody.

Public Enquiry Office (Croydon)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he received from  (a) officials and  (b) Government Ministers on the terms of reference for the Report on Investigation into Allegations about the Public Enquiry Office in Croydon.

John Reid: The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality set out the terms of reference for the investigation on 9 January 2006 following advice from officials.

Public Enquiry Office (Croydon)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the investigation by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Security and Anti-Corruption Unit into allegations made by Mr. Anthony Pamnani will report; and whether the report will be published.

John Reid: I refer the right hon. Member to Mr. Gbedemah's report on the investigation into allegations about practices within the Public Enquiry Office in Croydon, which was published on 14 March.

Recruitment (Police and Community Support Officers)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the recruitment process for police community support officers; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 September 2006
	We have consulted widely on the recruitment process for police community support officers, including the following organisations: the Association of Chief Police Officers, police forces, police staff associations, the central police training and development authority (Centrex), and the Association of Police Authorities. We have taken their comments into account in designing a national assessment process and agreeing national recruitment standards for PCSOs. These are being rolled out across forces during 2006-07.

Recruitment (Police and Community Support Officers)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the recruitment campaigns by the Metropolitan Police of  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers on staffing levels in neighbouring police authorities.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 September 2006
	The Home Office has not made any such assessments.

Recruitment (Police and Community Support Officers)

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time is for consideration of  (a) police community support officer and  (b) police officer applications.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 September 2006
	This information is not held centrally.

Sudbury Open Prison

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of  (a) stay and  (b) sentence was of detainees in Sudbury Open Prison in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 11 September 2006
	Information on the average length of stay at Sudbury prison is not centrally available, and providing information based on manually stored records could be achieved only at disproportionate cost. The following table gives the population in Sudbury prison by sentence length band at 30 June in each year since 2002. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system and although shown to the last individual the figure may not be accurate to that level.
	
		
			  Sentence lengths of prisoners in Sudbury open prison as at 30 June each year 
			   < 12 months  12 months <4 years  4 years +  Total 
			 2002 14 124 369 507 
			 2003 2 117 396 515 
			 2004 5 106 438 549 
			 2005 28 123 374 525 
			 2006 7 113 425 545

Sudbury Open Prison

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were detained in Sudbury Open Prison on the latest date for which figures are available; how many had been convicted of  (a) murder,  (b) grievous bodily harm,  (c) sexual offences and  (d) rape; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 11 September 2006
	From data held on the prison IT system, there were 531 prisoners detained in Sudbury Open Prison on 31 July 2006, of whom 172 were held for offences of violence against the person. Information by individual category of offence is not available because the figures are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed. There were no prisoners held in Sudbury Open Prison for sexual offences including rape on that date. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system and although shown to the last individual may not be accurate to that level.

Terrorism

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested in the UK under anti-terrorism legislation in each year since 1 January 2001; how many were charged; for which offences; under which legislation; on which day into the period of their detention each of those charged were charged; how many of those arrested were released without charge; and on which day into the period of their detention of those released without charge were released.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 September 2006
	Statistics compiled from police records show that between 11 September 2001 and 31 March 2006, 997 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT). Of these people, 154 were charged with offences under TACT and 79 of these were also charged under other legislation.
	A further 175 were charged with offences under other legislation. During this period 570 people were released without charge. The Home Office does not collate information on the length of time an individual is detained prior to being charged or released and this could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) nationality,  (b) sex,  (c) date of birth and  (d) immigration status is of each of the seven detainees who escaped from Yarl's Wood following the fire on 14 February 2002 and whose whereabouts remain uncertain and what their current status within the UK is.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that the information requested about the seven detainees who escaped and who remain out of touch with IND from Yarl's Wood, following the fire on the night of 14 February 2002 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Nationality  Sex  DOB  Status at time of escape  Current status 
			 Sri Lanka M 27 April 1982 Illegal entrant. Appeal rights exhausted  19 April 2001 Appeal rights exhausted 
			 Yugoslavia/Serbia M 1 February 1971 Asylum refused 11 January 2001 Asylum refused 
			 Ukraine M 22 May 1976 Asylum pending Asylum refused  14 February 2005 
			 Algeria M 15 July 1974 Illegal entrant. Appeal rights exhausted  9 February 2001 Appeal rights exhausted 
			 India M 9 February 1966 Overstayer-Asylum refused 19 August 2001—appeal pending Appeal rights exhausted on 12 April 2002 
			 Yugoslavia/Albania M 18 June 1983 Illegal entrant—Asylum refused 21 June 2001 Asylum refused 
			 Bulgaria M 21 April 1979 No details available No details available

HEALTH

Acute Hospital Budgets

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of the overall budget for acute hospital expenditure for each primary care trust has been spent purchasing  (a) procedures and treatment from independent providers operating within the UK and  (b) for patients who have travelled outside the UK for treatment in the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The expenditure is not separately identified from the annual financial returns of primary care trusts.

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

Ivan Lewis: The following tables set out the advertising campaigns commissioned by the Department's Communications Directorate for the financial years 2000-01 to 2003-04, showing the date and cost.
	
		
			  2000-01 
			  Campaign  Date  Advertising cost (£ million) 
			 Antibiotics — — 
			 CALM — — 
			 Drugs (Joint campaign with HO) February 200l 0.5 
			 Flu September 2000 2.01 
			 Immunisation — — 
			 Mind Out — — 
			 NHS Careers including nurse recruitment February 2001 4.90 
			 NHS Direct September 2000 0.11 
			 Organ donation February 2001 0.43 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy March 2001 1.5 
			 Sexual Health — — 
			 Social Care/Worker Recruitment — — 
			 Smoking June 2000 8.97 
			 TB Awareness — — 
			 Winter(Get the Right Treatment, Ask about Medicines Day) October 2000 2.03 
		
	
	
		
			  2001-02 
			  Campaign  Date  Advertising cost (£ million) 
			 Antibiotics January 2003 0.44 
			 CALM March 2002 0.05 
			 Drugs (Joint campaign with HO) — — 
			 Flu October 2001 1.45 
			 Immunisation July 2001 0.67 
			 Mind Out March 2002 0.13 
			 NHS Careers including nurse recruitment February 2002 5.0 
			 NHS Direct September 2001 1.08 
			 Organ donation March 2002 0.18 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy September 2001 2.0 
			 Sexual Health December 2001 0.3 
			 Social Care/Worker Recruitment October 2001 0.832 
			 Smoking July 2001 7.79 
			 TB Awareness March 2002 0.30 
			 Winter(Get the Right Treatment, Ask about Medicines Day) October 2001 0.16 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			  Campaign  Date  Advertising cost (£ million) 
			 Antibiotics February 2003 0.44 
			 CALM March 2003 0.13 
			 Drugs (Joint campaign with HO) May 2002 1.52 
			 Flu October 2002 2.0 
			 Immunisation May 2002 1.0 
			 Mind Out Mar 03 0.16 
			 NHS Careers including nurse recruitment March 2003 4.225 
			 NHS Direct September 2002 0.58 
			 Organ donation April 2002 0.22 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy April 2002 1.6 
			 Sexual Health December 2002 1.5 
			 Social Care/Worker Recruitment May 2002 1.24 
			 Smoking June 2002 7.87 
			 TB Awareness April 2003 0.09 
			 Winter(Get the Right Treatment, Ask about Medicines Day) July 2002 0.25 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			  Campaign  Date  Advertising cost (£ million) 
			 Antibiotics March 2004 0.42 
			 CALM — — 
			 Drugs (Joint campaign with HO) February 2004 1.5 
			 Flu October 2003 1.6 
			 Immunisation April 2003 2.0 
			 Mind Out  — 
			 NHS Careers including nurse recruitment April 2003 4.9 
			 NHS Direct September 2003 0.75 
			 Organ donation — — 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy April 2003 2.0 
			 Sexual Health May 2003 1.5 
			 Social Care/Worker Recruitment May 2003 4.62 
			 Smoking April 2003 17.34 
			 TB Awareness — — 
			 Winter(Get the Right Treatment, Ask about Medicines Day) November 2003 1.75

Ambulance Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances are employed by the Sussex Ambulance Service; and what projections she has made about the number of ambulances which will be required if Worthing hospital accident and emergency department were to close.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes  (a) exceeded,  (b) met,  (c) almost met and  (d) failed to meet (i) the national minimum standard for complaints procedures and (ii) Regulation (A) 5 and (B) 6 of the Care Homes Regulations 2001 in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: I am informed by the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that data are collected on how care homes are meeting national minimum standards (NMS). CSCI inspects homes against the NMS to determine compliance with the Care Homes Regulations. Where the NMS are not met, this could indicate a breach of regulations and trigger a proportionate response from CSCI to ensure compliance.
	CSCI has a range of enforcement powers it can use against homes that fail to meet the regulations. Ultimately, it can bring about the closure of homes that continually provide poor care.
	Care Homes Regulations 5 and 6 set out requirements on information to be provided to people who use care homes. Regulation 22 sets out the requirements for complaints procedures. Compliance with these regulations is enforceable, subject to the following NMS being taken into account.
	 NMS—Care homes for Older People
	Standard 1 (Information)
	Standard 2 (Contracts)
	Standard 16 (Complaints)
	 NMS—Care homes for Younger Adults (18-65)
	Standard l (Information)
	Standard 5 (Contracts)
	Standard 22 (Concerns and Complaints)
	The following table shows the performance of care homes against the relevant standards in 2005-06.
	
		
			   Exceeded  Met  Almost met  Failed to meet 
			  2005-06  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  Care homes for older people 
			 Standard 1—Information 217 2 7769 76 1922 19 277 3 
			 Standard 2—Contact 60 1 8440 84 1306 13 188 2 
			 Standard 16—Complaints 111 1 9054 86 1228 12 162 2 
			  Care homes for younger adults 
			 Standard 1—Information 213 3 5275 74 1427 20 188 3 
			 Standard 5—Needs Assessment 90 1 5383 77 1265 18 261 4 
			 Standard 22—Concerns and Complaints 131 2 6181 84 936 13 85 1 
			  Note:  The information in the table does not cover all care homes, as not all care homes are inspected against every standard in a given year.

Care Homes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1210W, on care homes, where the work of the organisations mentioned overlaps.

Ivan Lewis: The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) inspects services against the national minimum standards (NMS) and regulations under the Care Standards Act 2000 and the Care Homes Regulations 2001. There is no overlap of CSCI inspections against these regulations with any other organisation.
	However, the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 allows for joint working between CSCI and the Audit Commission and requires that CSCI co-operates and consults with the Healthcare Commission.
	The Care Homes Regulations and NMS include requirements relating to the health and safety of residents, staff and visitors. Some of these requirements may complement those in other regulations, for example, those governing fire safety and environmental health inspections. These requirements are clearly set out in guidance under each respective organisation responsible for making inspections.
	If there is concern over a particular service, CSCI may plan a joint inspection with another agency. However, inspection against and enforcement of other regulations is the statutory duty of the organisations responsible for them, not CSCI.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes for older people  (a) exceeded,  (b) met,  (c) almost met and  (d) failed to meet (i) Standard 12 and (ii) Standard 15 of the National Minimum Standards in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection that the number of care homes for older people that exceeded, met, almost met and failed to meet Standard 12 and Standard 15 of the National Minimum Standards—Care Homes for Older People in 2005-06, is as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  2005-06  Standard 12—contact and activities  Standard 15—meals and mealtimes 
			  Exceeded   
			 Number 987 956 
			 Percentage 9 9 
			
			  Met   
			 Number 7,349 8,025 
			 Percentage 70 76 
			
			  Almost met   
			 Number 1,945 1,415 
			 Percentage 18 13 
			
			  Failed to meet   
			 Number 270 133 
			 Percentage 3 1 
			  Note: The information in the table does not cover all care homes for older people, as not all care homes are inspected against every standard in a given year.

Child Behavioural Problems (Treatment)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the early intervention procedures for children with challenging behavioural problems at Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust learning disability service.

Ivan Lewis: It is for primary care trusts to assess and commission services to meet the needs of the population that they serve.

Choose and Book

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 935W, on the Choose and Book system, what budget has been set to cover the administrative costs of the  (a) Choose and Book,  (b) Choice and  (c) whole direct enhanced service system for (i) its introduction and (ii) each projected year it is planned to operate;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 634W, on the Choose and Book system, what central departmental budget has been set for the  (a) Choice and  (b) Choose and Book expected costs (i) for administrative and other staff, (ii) incurred by consultants and acute trusts, (iii) for other computer software and hardware not directly associated with the NHS Connecting for Health Agency and (iv) for other administrative infrastructure for each year the programme is budgeted to operate.

Ivan Lewis: No such budgets have been set by the Department. The setting of local budgets for the administration of Choose and Book, Choice and the direct enhanced service system is a matter for local decision making.

Colchester General Hospital

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has to fund the planned expansion of Colchester general hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Essex Rivers Hospital NHS Trust Board considered revised proposals for the development of the Colchester general hospital site when it met on 11 September. The Department has not yet been approached by the Trust with any revised plans.

Colchester General Hospital

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hon. Members have made representations to her about the decision not to proceed with the proposed private finance initiative expansion of Colchester general hospital.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Representations have been received from the hon. Member for Colchester in the form of parliamentary questions.

Computing Equipment

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks,  (b) compact discs,  (c) DVD-ROM discs,  (d) laptop computers,  (e) external computer hard drives,  (f) internal computer hard drives and  (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in her Department in each month since March 2005.

Ivan Lewis: The information provided does not cover executive agencies, other arms length bodies or NHS Connecting for Health.
	The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			   Universal serial bus Memory stick/flash drives  (d) Laptop computers  (e) External computer hard drives  (f) Internal computer hard drives  (g) Desktop computers 
			 March 2005 32 50 0 0 313 
			 April 2005 133 9 0 0 4 
			 May 2005 15 37 0 15 5 
			 June 2005 38 59 0 30 6 
			 July 2005 11 43 0 6 18 
			 August 2005 38 23 0 22 0 
			 September 2005 45 56 0 0 5 
			 October 2005 76 4 2 20 17 
			 November 2005 33 6 0 0 3 
			 December 2005 36 15 0 62 2 
			 January 2006 31 16 0 96 60 
			 February 2006 63 16 6 30 31 
			 March 2006 272 712 1 10 754 
			 April 2006 10 2 0 8 1 
			 May 2006 27 1 0 8 30 
			 June 2006 5 0 0 18 4 
		
	
	The Department's purchasing records do not differentiate between flash drives and memory sticks and therefore the figures provided are a combination of both.
	Purchases of Compact Discs (CD) and DVD-ROM discs are made from stationery suppliers and are regarded as consumable items and not as assets. Therefore these figures are not available.

Criminal Offences

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many criminal offences her Department has created by Orders in Council in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: There is power in section 60 of the Health Act 1999 to make provision in relation to the regulation of the health care professions by Order in Council, including an implicit power, under paragraph 6 of Schedule 3 to that Act, to create a criminal offence punishable on summary conviction by a fine not exceeding the amount specified as level 5 on the standard scale. However, such an Order may only be made after a draft of the Order has been subject to a period of three months public consultation and then approved by a vote of each House of Parliament and, if the Order covers matters within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, of the Scottish Parliament.
	This power has been exercised, using the procedure described above, to create 13 new criminal offences. The years in which this was done are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1997-98 (1)0 
			 1999 0 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 (2)10 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 3 
			 2006 0 
			 (1 )The power was not in existence (2 )One of which is not yet in force 
		
	
	Of the 13 provisions containing new offences, seven were expressed in similar terms to earlier offences in legislation that the Orders in Council revoked. In addition, the Orders in Council under section 60 contained a further eight modifications to existing offences.

Dentistry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the availability of NHS dentists in Wirral South.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has received 11 letters from hon. Members and members of the public relating to access to NHS dental services in the Wirral in the last 12 months.

Dentistry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the role of Denplan in relation to the availability of NHS dentists in  (a) Wirral South,  (b) the North West and  (c) England.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not keep data on the precise number of representations received on a specific issue.

Departmental Initiatives

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the departmental initiatives for each year since 2000 which required bids for funding from  (a) voluntary organisations and  (b) local authorities together with the total resource allocated to each initiative in each year; how many successful bids there were in each year; what proportion this figure represents of the total bids received; and what assessment she has made of the costs of (i) preparing bids for each initiative and (ii) assessing those bids.

Ivan Lewis: For 2006-07, the Department will make available a total of just over £1,590 million of revenue funding through specific formula grants. Of this, £1,583 million will be allocated directly by the Department, and £7.5 million by other Government Departments.
	The vast majority of personal social services grants are allocated on a formula basis to local authorities. The table sets out those revenue grants for which the Department has responsibility which have required bids for funding from local authorities with social service responsibilities. There are only two, both of which started in 2006-07:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Grant 
			   Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPP)  Individual budget pilots 
			 2000-01 — — 
			 2001-02 — — 
			 2002-03 — — 
			 2003-04 — — 
			 2004-05 — — 
			 2005-06 — — 
			 2006-07 (1)20 (2)6 
			 2007-08 (3, 4)40 (4)6 
			 (1) 144 applicants, 19 successful. (2) 75 applicants, 13 successful. (3) Of which £21,291,195 already announced to be allocated to the 19 round 1 POPP local authorities for the second year of 2-year projects. (4) Allocation tbc.  Note: No formal assessment has been made of either the cost of submitting or assessment of these bids. 
		
	
	The information for the voluntary sector is not readily available and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs. The only information that is readily available since 2000 is the annual total value of approved section 64 General Scheme of Grants and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire (Mr. Vara) on 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1710W.

Departmental Staff (Criminal Activity)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of her Department's employees have been  (a) dismissed,  (b) suspended and  (c) subject to disciplinary action for criminal activity in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

Disability Equality

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what  (a) information gathering and  (b) other actions (i) her Department and (ii) other bodies are taking to inform the production of the report on progress towards disability equality within the health policy sector;
	(2)  whether she has made an assessment of which policy areas will be considered in her report on progress towards disability equality within the health policy sector due to be published in December 2008;
	(3)  what steps were taken to involve disabled people in the production of her Department's disability equality scheme.

Ivan Lewis: The Department will publish its disability equality scheme in December this year, and disabled members of staff will be involved as it is prepared. We are considering the policy areas that will be considered in the report on progress towards disability equality that will be published in 2008, and the information-gathering and other actions the Department or other bodies will take to inform the content of that report.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid to her Department from the access to work scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget she plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of access to work funding for central Government Departments; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect the numbers of disabled staff receiving adaptations and equipment paid for by access to work.

Experimental Treatments

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trust hospitals have rented  (a) all and  (b) part of their wards to pharmaceutical companies for experimental treatments in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

Experimental Treatments

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trust hospitals have taken part in Phase III trials of pharmaceuticals; which  (a) hospitals and  (b) pharmaceutical companies were involved; and what income was received by each trust.

Ivan Lewis: For the period from September 2004 to September 2006, 260 United Kingdom hospitals have taken part in Phase III clinical trials of medicinal products. A table listing these hospitals has been placed in the Library. The number of pharmaceutical companies sponsoring Phase III clinical trials in the same time period is 215. These include companies based in the UK, other European Union member states and in non-European countries. A table listing these companies has been placed in the Library. Income accruing from the participation of trust hospitals in commercial clinical trials of medicinal products is not held centrally.

Experimental Treatments

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what insurance an NHS hospital trust holds for compensation claims incurred by private companies renting NHS wards.

Ivan Lewis: National health service hospital trusts do not obtain commercial insurance cover for compensation claims incurred by private companies renting NHS wards. However, it is normal for the NHS to ask private companies in these circumstances to obtain their own indemnity cover.

Experimental Treatments

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the NHS was of treating patients at Northwick Park who took part in the experimental testing set up by Parexel.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

General Hospitals

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of each county's largest town or city does not have a general hospital.

Rosie Winterton: All of the largest towns for each county in England, as defined by their urban population, have a general acute hospital locally with the exception of Rutland which has access to one close by in the neighbouring county.
	The location of all health care services depends on many factors including population density, service need, value for money, geography and transport links. Any decisions on the location of health care services will be taken locally and will be reviewed over time to ensure they remain optimal.

Health Care Procedures

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of health care procedures in  (a) independent sector treatment centres and  (b) on the NHS tariff in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: The national tariff is a price indicator to be paid to national health service organisations for health care procedures and not a cost indicator. The national tariff is published on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.
	Across the full period of the wave one independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) contracts, the average percentage cost above the NHS equivalent cost of all wave one ISTCs is 11.2 per cent. and compares favourably with the historical cost of the NHS of spot purchasing from the independent sector.

Health Information Campaigns

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has spent on public health information campaigns on  (a) sexual health and  (b) safe alcohol consumption in each year from 1997 to 2005.

Caroline Flint: The following table sets out the cost of public health information campaigns and publicity on sexual health, teenage pregnancy and alcohol in each year from 1997 to 2005.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Sexual Health  Teenage Pregnancy  Alcohol( 1) 
			 1997-98 0 0.79 — 
			 1998-99 0 0.84 — 
			 1999-2000 0 1.18 — 
			 2000-01 0 5.35 — 
			 2001-02 0.3 2.74 — 
			 2002-03 1.5 1.97 0.097 
			 2003-04 1.6 2.15 0.045 
			 2004-05 1.27 0 0.342 
			 2005-06 0.62 0 0.064 
			 (1) There has been no major campaign expenditure on alcohol consumption in the financial years 1997-2005, so costs given relate to literature and website activity only. However the Department of Health and Home Office are developing a joint alcohol communications campaign for launch in October 2006. The Department is contributing £2 million to the cost of this campaign. 
		
	
	We only have financial information on alcohol expenditure for the last four years, as figures pre- 2002-03 were held on an old financial system, which is no longer accessible.

Home Oxygen Provision

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the provision of home oxygen cylinders in Kent.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Following difficulties experienced in meeting the demand for home oxygen cylinders, especially standard and lightweight ambulatory cylinders, arrangements have now been made to make more cylinders available. The majority of patients in the two regions in the South East of England serviced by Allied Respiratory have transferred to the new supplier. Remaining patients are continuing to receive their oxygen cylinders through community pharmacies and are expected to transfer to Allied Respiratory over the next few weeks. Strategic health authorities and primary care trusts continue to monitor the situation and work with the supplier and clinicians to ensure patient's needs are met.

Hospital Meals

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital meals were left untouched in each year since 2001-02; and what this figure represents as a percentage of the total number of patient main meals in each year.

Rosie Winterton: The total number of patient meals reported untouched in each year since 2001-02 together with the percentage of the total number of patient meals are as follows:
	
		
			   Untouched meals  (Number)  Untouched meals (Percentage of total meals) 
			 2001-02 12,498,786 8.86 
			 2002-03 15,501,471 10.44 
			 2003-04 17,396,869 10.71 
			 2004-05 13,128,964 10.21 
			 2005-06 13,622,984 9.75 
		
	
	These data are derived from the estates return information collection returns provided by trusts in England.
	The percentage of untouched meals is defined as:
	plated meal systems: the number (calculated over the full menu cycle or seven days where no menu cycle is used) of untouched/unserved patient meals remaining at the end of the meals service period expressed as a percentage of the total number of meals provided and available at the commencement of the meal service period; and
	bulk systems: an apportionment of remaining meals based on visual inspection expressed as percentage of the total number of meals able to be served.
	A patient meal is defined as either a breakfast, midday or evening meal order (or any substitute or alternative for any such meals) received from a patient (wards and departments) or the number of similar meals provided to wards and departments as an estimate of need where order systems are not in use.
	The data provided have not been amended centrally and the accuracy of the data is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Hospitality Expenses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by her Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect this information at present, and has no need to do so. All expenditure by the Department is conducted in accordance with the principles of the Treasury manual "Government Accounting".

Intravenous Adrenaline

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received on supplies to the NHS of intravenous adrenaline; what the content of these representations was; which companies supply intravenous adrenaline to the NHS; and if she will make a statement on the supply of intravenous adrenaline to NHS organisations.

Ivan Lewis: The Department and National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency are aware that there have been problems with the supply of adrenaline injection in pre-filled syringes, and have had representations from NHS pharmacists alerting them to the problem.
	Adrenaline injection in pre-filled syringes is available from Cardinal Health and UCB Pharma Ltd., and in ampoules from Cardinal Health, Hameln Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Goldshield Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
	The shortage of adrenaline in pre-filled syringes arose due to a packaging problem with one of Cardinal's other products, which had a knock-on effect. The problem has been resolved, and Cardinal say that stocks of adrenaline in pre-filled syringes will be fully replenished within the next two months. Adrenaline in pre-filled syringes is also available from UCB Pharma Ltd. There is no shortage of adrenaline injection in ampoules.

IT Contracts

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value was of each IT contract awarded by her Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case.

Ivan Lewis: The information provided does not cover executive agencies, other arm's length bodies or NHS Connecting for Health.
	The names of the contractors and value of each information technology contract awarded by the Department in each of the last five years are:
	 1. Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)—The information management services agreement, outsourced support for the Department's IT desktop services and infrastructure
	
		
			   Value (£ million) 
			 2002-03 7.65 
			 2003-04 8.85 
			 2004-05 8.77 
			 2005-06 7.47 
			 2006-07 (1)7.60 
			 (1) Forecast charges 
		
	
	Transformation of the infrastructure formed a separate part of the agreement. The outturn cost was a further £12.6 million.
	CSC also undertake IT infrastructure project work in support of the integrity, enhancement and resilience of the infrastructure in line with changing technologies. They also administer expenditure for IT services on behalf of the Department, for example British Telecom costs for the wide area network and business ports, and audio conferencing and mobile telephone costs. These project and pass-through costs are listed as follows.
	
		
			   Value (£ million) 
			 2002-03 12.88 
			 2003-04 18.32 
			 2004-05 20.06 
			 2005-06 21.82 
			 2006-07 (1)21 
			 (1) Forecast charges 
		
	
	 2. Cap Gemini—Finance system agreement
	2004-05: £5.6 million.
	 3. IBM—Corporate software agreement
	2004-05: A three year contract with three annual payments totalling £1.4 million.
	 4. Xansa—Web content management and hosting service
	2006-07: The value of this contract over the next five years is £6 million.
	 5. BT—External applications hosting
	This annually renewable contract is for an application hosting provision designed to be scaleable to meet the requirements of the Department. The charges represent the fluctuation in these requirements. The annual charges were:
	
		
			   Value (£ million) 
			 2002-03 0.306 
			 2003-04 0.5 
			 2004-05 0.374 
			 2005-06 0.3 
			 2006-07 0.3 
		
	
	 6. EDS—Web and application hosting services
	
		
			   Value (£000) 
			 2002-03 162 
			 2003-04 202 
			 2004-05 229

IT Contracts

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which IT contracts awarded by her Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not abandoned any IT contracts in the last five years.

Maternity Services

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many hospitals had more than 4,000 births in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  whether it is her policy that maternity hospitals should plan for over 4,000 births a year.

Ivan Lewis: The national health service maternity statistics for the year 2004-05 indicate that there were 51 hospitals with over 4,000 deliveries registered.
	It is for local NHS trusts to decide on the best pattern of maternity service provision, taking into account their local population needs, evidence of effectiveness and available resources, and having followed appropriate procedures including consultation locally.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by her Department on providing information and literature to patients suffering from mental illness about the linked dangers of drugs in the last period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The cross-government drugs information campaign, FRANK, funded by the Department, Home Office and Department for Education and Skills communicates, primarily to young people aged 11-24, all the known harmful effects of illegal drugs including potential effects on mental health.
	The FRANK helpline, website www.talktofrank.com, television and radio advertising and information literature all include reference to substances for which there is evidence that mental health could be adversely affected, although the campaign does not specifically target people suffering from mental health problems. We are therefore unable to isolate and provide specific costings for delivery of mental health messages within the totality of FRANK messaging.

Ministerial Meetings

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met her Scottish counterpart; and what subjects were discussed.

Ivan Lewis: Ministers have regular dialogues with ministerial colleagues in the Scottish Executive, discussing a wide range of issues of mutual interest. It is not our practice to disclose details of such meetings, however, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met the Scottish Health Minister on 11 October 2005.

New Hospitals

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Department's press release of 18 August 2006, "Go-ahead for billion pound-plus wave of new NHS Hospitals", when she expects each of the schemes mentioned in the press release to reach financial close.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 September 2006
	It is currently anticipated that the schemes announced on 18 August will reach financial close by the following time periods:
	University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, spring 2007
	South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, autumn 2008
	Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, spring 2007
	Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust, spring 2007
	Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust, autumn 2007
	University Hospital Leicester NHS Trust, spring 2008
	Dates for financial close cannot be predicted with absolute certainty and the estimates given here may change as the projects develop.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department received earlier estimates from each strategic health authority (SHA) regarding the forecast year-end financial position of each SHA's health community in 2006-07 as at month three of 2006-07, which were different from those which were published in the quarter one financial data for 2006-07 on 11 August 2006.

Ivan Lewis: The 2006-07 quarter one report published the estimated forecast year-end position for the national health service, as at the end of June 2006.
	Reflecting both good financial practice and our performance management regime, NHS financial data are subject to review and quality assurance as part of the normal data collection process.

NHS Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total budgeted spend of each NHS trust was for  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06,  (c) 2006-07 and  (d) the latest proposed budgeted spend for 2007-08.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect budget information from national health service trusts. On the basis of information that is available, we have provided the following tables which have been placed in the Library:
	Table 1: NHS trusts' final accounts surplus/deficit position for 2004-05;
	Table 2: NHS trusts' provisional outturn for 2005-06; and,
	Table 3: NHS trusts' forecast outturn for 2006-07 as at quarter 1 (end of June 2006).
	No data are available for 2007-08.

NHS Outsourcing

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS organisations outsource administrative services to overseas providers; from where such services are provided; what their total cost was in 2005-06; what steps her Department has taken to promote quality controls in respect of those that involve the inputting of patient data and the drafting of letters to patients; and if she will review the operation of such contracts.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected centrally in the form requested. However, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Derek Wyatt) on 29 June 2006,  Official Report, column 620W.

NHS Service Provision (Changes)

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received regarding proposed service provision changes at  (a) Queen Mary's hospital, Sidcup,  (b) Queen Elizabeth hospital, Woolwich and  (c) Bexley Care Trust.

Ivan Lewis: In the last six months, two letters have been received by the Department about the future of paediatric diabetes services at Queen Mary's hospital, Sidcup. No other representations have been received about proposed service provision changes at Queen Elizabeth hospital or Bexley Care Trust.

Nurses

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses completed their training in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006; and how many have not been able to find jobs.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Parliamentary Papers

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to make copies of deposited papers available in the  (a) Vote Office and  (b) Printed Paper Office at the same time as copies are deposited in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House on 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 729W.

PCT (Leeds)

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure that savings released by the amalgamation of primary care trusts (PCT) in Leeds are reinvested in services in the new Leeds PCT area.

Rosie Winterton: After completion, the reconfiguration is expected to deliver savings of £250 million every year for reinvestment in frontline services. Primary care trusts are likely to prioritise investments in the manifesto commitments such as additional palliative care services, improving access to cancer services and developments in mental health services.
	The savings are expected to be realised by the end of 2007 and then every year for reinvestment beginning in 2008-09. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) have been asked to oversee the generation of the savings locally. Each SHA has a cost envelope that it should realise but it is for local determination to work out the best way of achieving these savings.

Pharmacies

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Department is taking in conjunction with the medicines and health regulatory authority to introduce risk-based regulation for  (a) wholesale and  (b) dispensing pharmacies.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 September 2006
	The European Commission in conjunction with the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union regulate the production and distribution of medicinal products within the European Economic Area with measures contained in Directive 2001/83/EC as amended relating to medicinal products for human use and their guidelines on good practices.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Government body responsible for the safety and licensing of medicines in the United Kingdom has transposed the regulatory measures contained in Directive 2001/83/EC as amended in respect of the wholesale distribution of medicinal products for human use into the United Kingdom's national legislation for medicines for human use.
	The MHRA inspects the facilities of licensed wholesale dealers of medicines to confirm compliance with the European Commission's guideline on good distribution practice and the United Kingdom's medicines regulations. As the risks associated with the distribution of some categories of medicines are significantly higher than others, different inspection frequencies are applied.
	The approach taken to the regulation and inspection of pharmacies and the dispensing of medicines under the Medicines Act 1968 as amended, including the extent to which it is risk based, is the responsibility of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

Prescription Charges

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the cost of extending the list of medical conditions which are exempt from prescription charges to include mental illness.

Rosie Winterton: No such assessment has been made. Many people suffering from mental illness will already be entitled to free prescriptions through the extensive exemption arrangements. Patients who are not exempt may purchase a prescription pre-payment certificate.
	The charging arrangements have recently been examined by the Health Select Committee which has made a number of recommendations. We are considering these and will respond formally in due course.

Residential Rehabilitation (Drug Treatment)

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was provided to each London borough for the purpose of funding drug residential rehabilitation places in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Residential drug rehabilitation is one of a number of different structured drug treatment interventions provided to meet the range of needs of drug users, with the remainder being: community-based general practitioner prescribing, community-based specialist prescribing; structured psychosocial interventions; structured day programmes; in-patient drug treatment; and other structured treatment. Drug Action Teams (DATs), have responsibility for commissioning drug treatment services based on assessment of local need. Drug treatment funding available to local DATs, including funding provided via the pooled drug treatment budget (PTB), is not divided between treatment types. Therefore, we are not able to provide the information requested.
	Details of PTB allocations to all London boroughs between 2002-03 and 2006-07 are in the table.
	
		
			  £000 
			   PTB channelled through PCT 
			  DAT  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Barking and Dagenham 777 1,019 1,149 1,430 1,849 
			 Barnet 955 1,205 1,309 1,576 2,030 
			 Bexley 600 759 827 997 1,287 
			 Brent 1,417 1,909 2,201 2,795 3,605 
			 Bromley 716 901 978 1,175 1,510 
			 Camden 2,017 2,466 2,599 3,033 3,914 
			 City of London 14 23 31 44 58 
			 Croydon 1,212 1,565 1,738 2,135 2,753 
			 Ealing 1,794 2,135 2,188 2,480 3,195 
			 Enfield 1,093 1,458 1,669 2,104 2,704 
			 Greenwich 1,449 1,867 2,070 2,538 3,261 
			 Hackney 2,112 2,749 3,077 3,806 4,920 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,340 1,616 1,679 1,931 2,500 
			 Haringey 1,547 2,096 2,430 3,099 3,988 
			 Harrow 542 689 754 914 1,185 
			 Havering 566 711 770 924 1,192 
			 Hillingdon 888 1,038 1,043 1,157 1,494 
			 Hounslow 861 1,041 1,084 1,250 1,612 
			 Islington 2,451 2,950 3,059 3,511 4,507 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,817 1,999 1,999 2,099 2,699 
			 Kingston upon Thames 658 725 725 761 977 
			 Lambeth 2,439 3,266 3,748 4,739 6,083 
			 Lewisham 2,023 2,586 2,847 3,468 4,469 
			 Merton 804 949 964 1,081 1,389 
			 Newham 2,164 2,984 3,509 4,529 5,801 
			 Redbridge 678 929 1,087 1,398 1,798 
			 Richmond upon Thames 687 756 756 793 1,021 
			 Southwark 2,274 3,052 3,510 4,446 5,739 
			 Sutton 568 662 664 733 940 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,988 2,731 3,202 4,124 5,272 
			 Waltham Forest 958 1,357 1,630 2,141 2,733 
			 Wandsworth 1,663 2,000 2,073 2,378 3,063 
			 Westminster 2,729 3,002 3,002 3,152 4,042 
			 London total(1) 43,801 55,195 60,371 72,741 93,590 
			 (1) These figures do not include funding from local authority community care budgets, which fund many of the drug residential rehabilitation places. Local funding allocations are not collected at a national level so we are not able to provide a breakdown of this spend.

Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many security passes have been reported  (a) lost and  (b) stolen by staff in her Department by year since February 2004.

Ivan Lewis: In the Department, the following number of security passes have been reported lost or stolen:
	2004-05: nil
	2005-06: lost totalling 56, and
	stolen totalling: 13.

St. Helier Hospital

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what inquiries her Department made concerning the  (a) town and country planning advice on,  (b) legal obstacles to and  (c) affordability of the St. Helier option for siting a critical care hospital in coming to her decision set out in her letters of (i) 19 December 2005 and (ii) 16 August 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State considered advice from the local NHS and from officials, including from the solicitor's branch.
	In August 2006 the chief executive of NHS London wrote to the Secretary of State outlining developments affecting the proposals for the new hospital at St. Helier. These included the financial position of the local primary care trusts and planning and legal restrictions affecting land at St. Helier. As a consequence, the Secretary of State withdrew her decision of 19 December 2005 and replied asking for a review of the proposals for the new critical care hospital, including the model of care and issues of affordability.

St. Helier Hospital

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made following her decision in December 2005 to site a new hospital at St. Helier, Carshalton; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In August 2006 the chief executive of NHS London wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State outlining developments affecting the proposals for the new hospital at St. Helier. These included a change to the financial position of local primary care trusts and planning and legal restrictions affecting land at St. Helier. In consequence of these developments, the Secretary of State has withdrawn her decision of 19 December 2005 and has written to the chief executive of the London strategic health authority accepting his request for a review of the proposals for a new critical care hospital and the model of care for the area, including issues of affordability.

Staff Bonuses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many performance-related bonuses were paid to staff in her Department in each year since 1997; and how much was spent by her Department on performance-related bonuses in each year.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has spent £1,065,069 on performance bonus payments to 690 staff in 2004-05. For 2005-06, the Department spent £1,065,759 on 589 employees and in 2006-07 £1,108,586 has been paid to 262 members of staff to the end of August.

Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will visit the Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust.

Ivan Lewis: An invitation inviting the Secretary of State for Health to Worthing was received by the Department's ministerial visits unit on 14 September and is currently being processed. The invitation will be duly submitted to the Secretary of State for Health for consideration regarding availability.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Business Support

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the 10 largest schemes were in monetary terms on the Small Business Service's Grants and Support Directory in 2005-06; what arrangements are in place to measure each scheme's  (a) impact and  (b) effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As part of the last Budget, the Government announced a cross-Government Business Support Simplification Programme to improve the provision of publicly funded business support. The programme will deliver easy-to-access Government support for business—targeted where it will have greatest impact and delivered to get best value for money. Part of the programme's work is to identify the funding across Government from which existing business support schemes flow.
	The impact and effectiveness of existing schemes is monitored and evaluated by individual Departments, Agencies and local government. The programme will draw on this evidence, using a screening tool, which is currently being piloted by central Government and regional development agencies, to assess Government business support. This work will allow us to ensure that publicly funded support for small business is easier to access and continues to support the growth in start-ups and improve survival rates which are higher than a decade ago.

Business Support

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support the Government provide for small businesses in addition to the schemes listed on the Small Business Service's Grants and Support Directory.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Small Business Service's Grants and Support Directory lists all central Government support schemes for business. It also lists the majority, but not all, of the support that is provided by regional and local government, and support that is available from voluntary and not-for-profit organisations.
	The Government announced in this year's Budget statement (March 2006) that it has initiated a Business Support Simplification programme to reduce the number of central, regional and local schemes to less than 100 by 2010 thereby making it easier for small businesses to access the support they need while continuing the Government's commitment to support the entrepreneurial economy.

Cellulosic Ethanol

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what cost analysis he has undertaken on the development of cellulosic ethanol as an alternative fuel source;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to further the development of cellulosic ethanol as an alternative fuel source.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Cellulosic ethanol is a longer term option for transport biofuels.
	The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) will provide significant support to the biofuels industry by ensuring a stable, long-term market for the best biofuels. In designing and consulting on the RTFO the Government published supporting evidence on the costs and benefits of the proposed obligation. The obligation will also support innovation and help develop the lowest-carbon biofuels production methods.
	In the longer term, we intend the RTFO to be able to encourage and reward the development and use of those biofuels (including cellulosic ethanol) which deliver the maximum carbon savings with the minimum environmental impact.
	The Low Carbon Transport Innovations Strategy announced in the Energy Review will also act as a spur to low carbon transport technologies.
	The Department's Technology Programme is also supporting next generation transport biofuels and has supported the following projects to date.
	
		
			  Contractor  Title  DTI value (£) 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Technology Status Review and Carbon Abatement Potential for Renewable Transport Fuels in the UK 50,731 
			
			 BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd. Hyperthermophilic Proteolytic Fermentation to Generate Ethanol as a Transport Fuel 110,087 
			 BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd. Lipase Alcoholysis of Triglycerides to Produce Biodiesel 93,025 
			
			 TMO Biotec Ltd. Biofuel production from plant biomass derived sugars 234,080.00 
		
	
	The Department has also supported two Global Watch Missions on bioenergy and biofuels which have included work on next generation biofuels and been published in 2006. Both are available from the DTI Publications Unit.
	 Bioenergy: a scoping mission to the USA and Canada. (URN 06/829)
	Global watch mission report: an overview of the current status and future trends of technology development in the area of bioenergy in the USA and Canada, and the relationships with the strategic direction of the US and Canadian federal state/provincial governments
	 Next generation transport biofuels—a mission to the Netherlands, Germany and Finland. (URN 06/1112)
	Global watch mission report to identify and evaluate new process technologies and feedstocks that offer the potential for improvements in the production of biofuels for diesel engine applications.
	The UK is also a member of the International Energy Agency's collaboration on liquid biofuels (Task 39 of IEA Bioenergy)—with DTI funding the membership of British Sugar. The task brings together leading international researchers and industry pioneers looking to increase the penetration of biofuels for transportation into the commercial marketplace. The activities include the technical challenges of biofuel production, as well as the policy and regulatory issues that must be addressed in commercialisation.

Companies Bill

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  which  (a) business and  (b) trade organisations his Department has met to discuss the Companies Bill in the last 12 months;
	(2)  which  (a) charities,  (b) trade unions and  (c) non-governmental organisations his Department has met to discuss the Companies Bill in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Companies Bill covers a large number of issues, and it would be disproportionate to seek to identify all those organisations with whom the Department has held discussions on different aspects of the Bill over the past 12 months. This has included a very wide range of bodies, including business organisations such as the CBI and Institute of Directors, experts and practitioners such as the Law Society, and other organisations such as the TUC and members of the Corporate Responsibility Coalition.

Default Costs

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish responses received by his Department from industry to the report on default charges relating to credit cards and other contracts; and what action he plans to take in reply to the report.

Ian McCartney: The report on default charges is being conducted by the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT has already stated that it believed that credit card default charges had been generally set at a significantly higher level than was considered fair and set a £12 threshold for OFT intervention unless there were exceptional business factors. In response to this, credit card issuers have agreed to reduce their default charges—the majority by almost half.
	As a result of subsequent reduction in charges across the market, the OFT is satisfied that no further intervention is warranted in this area at this time and that this change has brought about substantial benefits for consumers. The OFT remains of the view that the broad principles do read across to the retail banking area and has decided to undertake further work on the application of these principles to bank current accounts. This fact-finding exercise is expected to take between three to six months, at which stage the OFT will consider whether a further detailed investigation of the fairness of individual bank default charges is needed.

Design Council

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure an appropriate level of funding for the work of the Design Council.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Design Council is a non-departmental public body co-sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Culture Media and Sport. It is funded by a grant in aid from the Department of Trade and Industry to enable it to deliver on its business plan. Funding under the Spending Review 2004 was set at over £6 million a year for the three years to 2007-08. In addition a further £2.5 million has been provided in the last three years to fund a pilot project on improving business performance through better use of design by businesses. The regional development agencies are contributing towards the roll-out of this programme in some regions. We are also encouraging the council to develop new revenue streams to enhance its income to support its skills, creative industries and design promotion programmes.

Energy Infrastructure

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how often the security of the principal domestic energy infrastructure is reviewed;
	(2)  when he last met the Home Secretary to discuss the adequacy of security measures to protect domestic energy infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answers 11 September 2006
	The Government have an ongoing programme of work relating to the protection of the UK's Critical National Infrastructure, including the energy sector. This work is overseen by the Protective Security and Resilience Sub-Committee of the Ministerial Committee on Defence and Overseas Policy (DOP(IT)(PSR)), which meets regularly under the chairmanship of the Home Secretary and is attended by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Export Licences

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the target time is within which decisions on export licences should be reached; and how many, and what proportion of applications were decided upon within the target period in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government publish information on the number of export licence applications they have processed, and their performance against target in doing so, in their annual reports on Strategic Export Controls. The Government also publish quarterly licensing and performance information on the Export Control Organisation website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/.

Gas Imports

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will require owners of interconnector capacity and of storage facilities to publish planned levels of utilisation of imported gas three months in advance.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 11 September 2006
	It is the responsibility of Ofgem, as independent regulator, to determine the information required for the effective operation of the market, working within the legislative framework set by Government.
	Against this background, the following information is currently available, which balances the commercial needs of the companies concerned and the needs of the wider market.
	Regulations are in place to ensure capacity holders on the interconnector release unutilised capacity to the secondary traded market as and when available. National Grid publishes storage levels with a one day lag. Utilisation of storage facilities, as with other supply sources, is the commercial decision of the capacity holders.
	Ofgem also publish National Grid's Winter Outlook Report which contains aggregated supply and demand data, collected in consultation with industry, by supply source. This includes, but is not limited to, imported gas and storage capacities.

Intellectual Property

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government have plans to introduce a new position of Minister for Intellectual Property.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 13 September 2006
	The Government have no plans, at present, to introduce a new Minister for Intellectual Property. Lord Sainsbury is the Minister with responsibility.

Oil and Gas Reserves

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the latest estimate is for total UK Continental Shelf oil and gas reserves; and what estimate he has made of the value of these reserves at  (a) Budget forecast and  (b) current world prices.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 11 September 2006
	The Department of Trade and Industry publishes estimates of remaining UK Continental Shelf oil and gas reserves on its oil and gas website at http://www.og.dti.gov.uk/information/bb_updates/chapters/reserves_index.htm. The latest published estimate, of total proven plus probable plus possible reserves as at 1 January 2005, was 17.1 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The Department does not produce estimates of the value of these reserves.

Post Office

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government expect to conclude their review of the future of the Post Office; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We are at present carefully considering options for the network beyond 2008, though we are not working to a fixed timetable.

Private Limited Companies

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many private limited companies there are in the UK with over 1,000 shareholders.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 11 September 2006
	Companies provide information on their shareholders to Companies House. However, information on the number of shareholders which they have is not held in a form which would allow for an answer to this question to be provided except at disproportionate cost.

UK Accounting Firms

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to review the governance regime for the four largest UK accounting firms.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government published their review of the regulatory regime for the accounting profession in January 2003 alongside the report of the Co-ordinating Group on Audit and Accounting Issues. As a result of this review a new system of independent regulation was established under the Financial Reporting Council. Under these reforms, the Professional Oversight Board, a part of the Financial Reporting Council, has responsibility for the oversight of the regulation of the accountancy and audit professions as well as for monitoring the quality of audits of public interest entities, including those by the four largest UK accounting firms.
	The new eighth Company Law Directive (2006/43/EC) on statutory audits was adopted on 17 May 2006. The DTI will be consulting in due course on the implementation of the directive.
	The Companies Bill currently before Parliament includes a range of new measures relating to statutory auditors and audits.

TREASURY

Arms Imports

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) assault rifles and  (b) other long-barrelled weapons sharing the same section 5 classifications originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina and entering the UK through the port of Immingham were declared to UK customs in (i) July 2005 and (ii) August 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: Due to taxpayer confidentiality HM Revenue and Customs cannot provide information about any specific imports.

Capital Gains Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the Treasury of extending capital gains tax rollover relief to residential landlords;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the merits of extending capital gains tax rollover relief to residential landlords;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of capital gains tax rollover relief being available for holiday lets but not residential landlords in areas where there is high demand for holiday accommodation as well as residential letting;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of extending capital gains tax rollover relief to residential landlords as well as to those owning holiday lets.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government keep all aspects of the tax system under review.
	There have been no estimates produced of the cost of extending capital gains tax rollover relief to residential landlords, or the impact of capital gains tax rollover relief being available for holiday lets but not residential landlords. Estimates could be produced only at a disproportionate cost.

Carbon Emissions Tax

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will veto the European Parliament proposal for an EU-wide tax on cars according to their carbon emissions.

John Healey: The Government will not agree to the proposal on passenger car related taxes, as amended by the European Parliament.

Cash Machines

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fee-charging cash machines were installed in Wirral in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: According to data from LINK, an additional 21 fee-charging cash machines were installed in the Wirral over the 12 months to August 2006. However, an additional 26 free cash machines were also installed in the Wirral during the same period.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people from the new EU accession countries  (a) have claimed and  (b) are claiming tax credits at the latest available date.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 September 2006 to question 90547 from the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois).

Tax Credits

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of fraudulent tax credits paid in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1281-82, and to the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits: Error and fraud statistics 2003-04" and "Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits" available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/menus/techmenu.htm

TRANSPORT

Aircraft Hand Luggage

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department is making to the Civil Aviation Authority on the application to the instruments of professional musicians of the recent security restrictions on aircraft hand luggage.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport regulates aviation security in the UK. My officials have met representatives of professional musicians with the aim of working together to identify a way forward on this specific matter.

Aircraft Hand Luggage

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why musicians are not permitted to take their instruments on to aeroplanes.

Gillian Merron: My officials have met representatives of professional musicians to discuss their concerns and will be presenting new proposals to representatives of the aviation industry later this week aimed at lessening the burden on both passengers and operators.

Aircraft Hand Luggage

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the normal hand luggage rules for aeroplanes to be restored.

Gillian Merron: We continue to discuss with the aviation industry at all levels the operational implications of the current security measures and are working to identify as quickly as possible any practical steps that can be taken to lessen the operational burden while not compromising security. We will be presenting new proposals to industry representatives this week with the aim of lessening the burden on both passengers and operators.

Aircraft Hand Luggage

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effect of the ban on normal size hand luggage from aeroplanes.

Gillian Merron: All measures are under constant review and we are gathering data on the current measures through our ongoing compliance activity. This is informing our urgent consideration of how the present arrangements might be adjusted.

Channel Tunnel (Freight Trains)

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that would be lost in freight yards at Crewe and Dollands Moor if subsidies for freight operating companies using the Channel Tunnel are withdrawn; what the cost for freight trains using the Channel Tunnel  (a) is until 30 November and  (b) will be after 30 November; and if he will make a statement on the plan to withdraw their subsidies.

Tom Harris: The Department has made no estimate of the number of jobs that would be lost at Crewe and Dollands Moor rail freight yards if subsidies for freight operating companies using the Channel Tunnel are withdrawn.
	Under agreements signed between 1994 and 1996 and extended in June 2005 until 30 November 2006, the British Railways Board is responsible for paying Eurotunnel approximately £26 million per year on behalf of the rail freight company English Welsh and Scottish Railway International (EWSI) for guaranteed Minimum Usage Charges in respect of rail freight flows through the Channel Tunnel.
	If EWSI continues to run freight trains through the Channel Tunnel under the terms of the existing usage contract after the funding agreement expires on 30 November 2006 it will be obliged to pay Eurotunnel usage tolls and operating expenses for the trains it operates. The charges for this will vary according to the number and type of services run each year.

Cycling

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to make it compulsory for children to wear safety helmets when riding bicycles.

Stephen Ladyman: We believe that it is sensible for cyclists, and especially children, to protect themselves by wearing a cycle helmet and it is our policy to encourage helmet wearing on a voluntary basis.
	At current helmet wearing rates, making them compulsory would cause enforcement difficulties and, without greater public acceptance, could have an adverse effect on the levels of cycling. However, compulsion remains an option that we keep under review.

Cycling

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) adult and  (b) child cyclists were (i) injured and (ii) killed in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of adult and child cyclists, injured and killed, in the years up to 2004 are published in table 8.2 of Transport Statistics Great Britain: 2005. Cyclist casualties for 2005 are published in table 2 of Road Casualties Great Britain: Main results 2005.
	Copies of these publications are in the Libraries of the House.

Disused Railways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what feasibility studies he has carried out to investigate whether any stretch of disused railway could be utilised as a highway to reduce congestion; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many miles of disused railway track bed are undeveloped and available for sale or for an alternative use;
	(3)  what trials  (a) have taken place and  (b) are scheduled to take place on the feasibility of allowing cars to use disused rail lines; where such trials are taking place; and when he expects an evaluation to be carried out.

Tom Harris: We estimate that there are fewer than 100 miles of redundant trackbed that has not been either retained for possible future use or sold. Much of what remains comprises small parcels of land unsuitable for conversion into roads. The Department has not therefore carried out any recent studies into the possibility of using any of this land in this way.

Rail Services

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold an inquiry into  (a) incidents in (i) late August and (ii) early September involving lengthy delays for passengers using rail services between London Liverpool Street and Colchester and  (b) the condition and maintenance of the railway track between London Liverpool Street and Colchester; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: One, the Train Operator concerned, and Network Rail have advised that investigations so far indicate the delays were caused by failures of the overhead power lines. They have taken a number of immediate steps to ensure the failures do not recur. Meanwhile they are continuing their investigations with a view to identifying any further measures necessary to achieve a permanent solution.

Road Schemes

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet  (a) the Transport Chair of the East Midlands Regional Assembly,  (b) the hon. Member for Kettering and  (c) a small delegation of other interested parties from Northamptonshire to discuss the prioritisation of major road schemes and the working of the Regional Funding Allocation Mechanism.

Stephen Ladyman: The hon. Member should contact my office and a meeting will be arranged.

Rural Speed Limits

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce maximum speeds on rural roads.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to reduce the national maximum speed limit on rural roads. However the Department published new guidance on setting local speed limits on 8 August 2006. This asks local traffic authorities to review speed limits on their A and B roads, and implement any necessary changes by 2011.
	Lower speed limits are encouraged where the safety evidence or characteristics of the road warrant them. But equally local traffic authorities should consider increasing limits if it is warranted and can be done safely.

Taxi/Private Vehicle Licensing

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the guidance will be published in response to the taxi and private vehicle licensing consultation which closed in October 2005.

Gillian Merron: Best practice guidance will be issued to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in due course, following completion of consideration of the results of last year's consultation.

Traffic Accidents

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of all traffic accidents in England and Wales involved foreign registered lorries in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: In England and Wales in 2005 the proportion of personal injury road accidents reported to the police involving foreign registered lorries is 0.58 per cent. Data on foreign registered vehicles were not collected prior to 2005.

Vehicle Insurance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of uninsured vehicles in the United Kingdom since May  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 13 September 2006
	Our latest estimate (2005) is based on a comparison of the Vehicle register, maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and the Motor Insurance Database. It is that there are about 2 million vehicles (about 6 per cent. of the UK vehicle fleet) being driven by uninsured drivers. There are no similar comparisons for earlier years.
	In order to strengthen enforcement activity to tackle motor insurance evaders we introduced two new measures last year. First, to give the police improved access to the Motor Insurance Database to enhance their capability to detect uninsured driving by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment.
	Second, powers to allow the police to seize vehicles being driven uninsured. Both these measures are proving effective with the police seizing nearly 600 uninsured vehicles a week.
	In addition we are seeking powers in the Road Safety Bill to introduce a scheme of Continuous Insurance Enforcement which would enable us to enforce the requirement for motor insurance from the record. This means that rather than having to rely on spotting an uninsured vehicle on-road we can identify, from the database, vehicles where insurance policies have lapsed and not been renewed. This will enable us to target all such evaders, rather than just the necessarily smaller numbers that it is possible to identify on-road.

Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet members of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board; and what matters he plans to discuss.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State has no plans to meet members of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board.